RRI Sports Club – Romanian tennis players at Australian Open
The years first Grand Slam competition, the Australian Open, is underway in Melbourne. Romanian tennis players will be trying to prove their mettle in the womens singles and doubles and also in the mens doubles.
România Internațional, 21.01.2015, 13:10
In the women’s singles, only one Romanian is among the favorites to winning this tournament, namely Seed no. 3 Simona Halep. Another Romanian tennis player, however, scored a surprise victory in the first round. Irina-Camelia Begu has edged out favorite number nine, Germany’s Angelique Kerber. Irina has already made it to the third round, as on Wednesday she defeated Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, 7-5, 6-4.
In the men’s doubles, two pairs with a Romanian member are among the favorites to winning the competition. Best-ranked is the Romanian-Dutch pair made up of Horia Tecau and Jean Julien Rojer, who are favorites number 6. Romanian Florin Mergea and Dominic Inglot of Britain are 14th placed, having already qualified to the second round, after a 6-2, 6-2 win against the all-Australian pair made up of Matthew Ebden and Matt Reid.
In the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, Monica Niculescu of Romania and Vitalya Dyatchenko of Russia defeated on Wednesday the all-American team made up of Lauren Davis and Christina McHale, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
It’s worth mentioning that Romanian tennis players had a hard time competing in the Australian Open along the years. In 1980, Virginia Ruzici reached as far as the quarterfinals, when she conceded victory to the Czech Hana Mandlikova, who walked away with the trophy. In 1997, another Romanian, Irina Sparlea was edged out of the competition also in the quarterfinals stage, being defeated by Martina Hingis of Switzerland, who won the competition.
As for the men’s competition, Andrei Pavel qualified twice to the Australian Open’s eighth finals. In 1999 he was defeated by Russia’s Evgeny Kafelnikof, while in 2004, he was eliminated from competition by Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero. In 2012 Romania’s Horia Tecau and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands won the mixed doubles finals of Australian Open.
