SPORTS WEEKEND

The most eagerly awaited sports event of the weekend is the women’s final at Roland Garros, where Romanian player Simona Halep will contend against Maria Sharapova. In the semi-finals on Thursday, Halep defeated Andrea Petkovich in two sets, 6-2, 7-6. Halep reached the finals of this edition of the French Open without losing a single set. The 22-year-old Romanian prodigy will play for the first time a Grand Slam final. The former world first Sharapova has three wins over Halep in matches ahead of the Roland Garros finals on Saturday, her last victory being this year’s Madrid tournament. The last Grand Slam final for a Romanian at Roland Garros was played by Simona Halep’s current manager Virginia Ruzici in 1980, when she got defeated by Chris Evert 6-0, 6-3, after Ruzici’s 1978 win 6-2, 6-2 against Yugoslavian Mima Jausovech.

In other news, on Saturday Romania hosts the European women’s boxing championships, where Romania has already secured 5 medals due to the qualification in the semi-finals of boxers Stela Duta, Simona Sitar, Cristiana Stancu, Marinela Radu and Luminita Turcin. The semi-finals are scheduled for Friday, and the finals for Saturday. This 9th edition of the European Boxing Championships enjoyed the participation of 167 athletes from 30 countries.

Romania’s men’s handball team are playing the first leg of the 2015 World Championship play-offs against Sweden. Two weeks ago Romania’s team changed coaches, with the French Christian Gaudin, world champion twice, replacing Eliodor Voica. The second leg of the match against Sweden is scheduled for June 15 in Goteborg.

Over 190 Romanian athletes and 36 foreign athletes compete in Cluj in the 59th edition of the International Athletics Championship of Romania, with participants coming from countries such as Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cuba, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. The head of the Romanian Athletics Federation, Ion Sandu, said that this competition is a stage in the training and qualification of the Romanian team for the European Team Championships.