Athlete of the week

Tennis player Irina Begu

Radio România Internațional, 23.07.2024, 13:45

Professional tennis competition timetables these days are busier than in the rest of the year. Starting with the summer season’s Roland Garros Grand Slam tournament and ending with the Flushing Meadow tournament earlier in the fall, four or five top-flight tournaments per week are being staged in between.

Ongoing this week, for instance, are WTA tournaments in Prague and in Romania’s Iasi, while the ATP timetable includes tournament in Atlanta, Umag, in Croatia, and in Kitzbühel, Austria. Last week, both the men’s and the women’s version of tournaments in Switzerland’s Gstaad and Italy’s Palermo, respectively, had Romanian participants.

In Gstaad, the Romanian-German pair made of Victor Cornea and Andre Begemann reached as far as the men’s doubles semifinals. Also as far as the women’s singles semifinals reached WTA 250 Irina Begu in the Palermo tournament.

Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Irina Begu the Athlete of the week.

232, 000 Euros were up for grabs in the Palermo tournament. Irina’s trail included wins against Spain’s Marina Bassols Ribera, 6-nil, 6-nil and against 5th-seeded competitor, the Dutch Arantxa Rus, 6-2, 7-5. In the quarterfinals, Begu outclassed American challenger Ann Li, 6-3, 6-4. However, in the semis, Irina was outclassed by Czech opponent, 2nd-seeded Karolina Muchova, 6-1, 6-1.

Irina Camelia Begu was born in Bucharest on August 26, 1990. Her track record includes wins in five WTA women’s singles tournaments: in Tashkent, in 2012, in Seoul, in 2015, and in Florianopolis, in 2016. Irina Begu also won the Bucharest tournament in 2017 and the tournament in Palermo, in 2022. Irina Camelia Begu won nine women’s doubles tournaments.

Irina Begu compelled recognition in Hobart, in 2012, pairing up with Monica Niculescu, and in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, in 2013, in the company of Anabel Medina Garrigues. Jointly with Maria Irigoyen, Irina won the Rio de Janeiro tournament in 2014, and in Seoul, also in 2014, pairing up Lara Arruabarrena. Irina Begu won the Bucharest tournament in 2017, together with Raluca Olaru. Also in 2017, Begu won the tournament in Tianjin, pairing up with Sara Errani. In 2018, Irina Begu won two other women’s doubles WTA titles, in China’s Shenzen, pairing up with Simona Halep, and in Bucharest, this time jointly with Andreea Mitu.

Irina Begu’s last women’s doubles title was won in 2019 at the Thailand Open, jointly with Monica Niculescu. According to the women’s singles rankings, Irina Begu is 136th-placed and 497th according to the women’s doubles.