RRI Sports Club

Tennis

Florin Orban, 29.06.2022, 13:45

At
the Wimbledon tennis tournament, 6 Romanian players have moved past the first
tour in the singles competition. Each of them has secured at least GBP 78,000,
but no points in the world ranking, given that the WTA and ATP will not assign
points for this year’s tournament in Britain. The 2 international professional
associations made this decision after the British organisers banned Russian and
Belarusian athletes from taking part.

The first Romanians to qualify into the second round
were Sorana Cîrstea and Irina Begu. On Monday, Cîrstea, no. 32 in the world, won
7-6, 7-6 against Alexandra Krunic, of Serbia, WTA 107. Begu, ranking 43rd
WTA, had an easier job playing the Georgian Ekaterine Gorgodze, no. 114 in the
world, whom she defeated 6-4, 6-1.

On Tuesday, Mihaela Buzărnescu, ranked 127 among the
world’s professional players, defeated Nastasja Schunk of Germany, 6-4, 6-2.
Ana Bogdan, no. 111, was the first Romanian athlete to defeat a better-ranked
player, i.e. Ukrainian Dayana Yastemska, no. 74. At her second participation in
the All England Club competition, after the 2017 season, Bogdan won 6-2, 6-2.

Next came Simona Halep, the 2019 Wimbledon champion
and the best-placed Romanian player in the WTA ranking (18th). She
beat the Czech Carolina Muchova in 2 sets, 6-3, 6-2. And last but not least, Irina
Bara, no. 122 WTA, outplayed Chloé Paquet of France, 6-2, 6-4.

The only
Romanian left behind is Elena Gabriela Ruse, no. 54 WTA. She had to take on the
young American Cori Gauff, seed no 11 and no 12 in the world standings. After a
dramatic match, Gauff won 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, and Ruse won GBP 50,000. (AMP)