Radio România Internațional

Tag: qualifiers

Sports Roundup

The Romanian water polo teams CSM Oradea and
Steaua Bucharest have moved up to the second qualification round of the
Champions League. CSM Oradea won all their matches in the League’s qualifier
Group B, held in Oradea: 10-7 against the Italian side Savona, 12-3 against ASA
Tel Aviv and 12-8 against Galatasaray Istanbul, finishing 1st in
their group. In the Netherlands, in qualifier Group A, Steaua defeated the host
team, Het Ravijn, 15-9, and then beat the Bosnian side Invictum Sarajevo, 29-2.
Two defeats followed: 3-10 against Vasas Budapest, of Hungary, and 11-14 against
Primorac Kotor, of Montenegro. The Romanian champions qualified into the second
round after they came out 3rd in their group.

Romania’s national team won the Carpathians
Trophy in women’s handball, held last week in the town of Bistriţa. Romania
started out with a draw against Austria, 32-all, a match in which they avoided
a defeat by scoring 2 goals in the last minute. Next came a 26-20 win against Serbia,
and in their last match manager Florentin Pera’s team defeated Spain, 25-23 and
finished top of the standings. Romania is training for the EURO 2022, a competition
scheduled to take place between 4 – 20 November in Slovenia, North Macedonia and
Montenegro. Romania is part of Group C, alongside France, the Netherlands and
North Macedonia.

This weekend saw matches counting towards
the 12th round of the Romanian football Super League. On Friday,
Universitatea Craiova drew against FC Voluntari, 1-all, while on Saturday the
other team based in Craiova, FC U, drew away from home against CS Mioveni, 2-all.
Also on Saturday, CFR Cluj won 1-0 against Petrolul Ploieşti. On Sunday,
Hermannstadt had their first defeat this season, 1-2 against Sepsi Sfântu
Gheorghe, Farul Constanţa beat UTA Arad 2-0, and in Bucharest FCSB struggled to
defeat FC Argeş, 3-2. The last 2 matches in this round were scheduled for
Monday: FC Botoşani vs Universitatea Cluj and Chindia Târgovişte vs Rapid
Bucharest. The current leaders in the ranking are Farul, with 27 points,
followed by Rapid, with 24, and Hermannstadt, with 22 points. (AMP)

3 October 2022
Sports Roundup

The Romanian water polo teams CSM Oradea and
Steaua Bucharest have moved up to the second qualification round of the
Champions League. CSM Oradea won all their matches in the League’s qualifier
Group B, held in Oradea: 10-7 against the Italian side Savona, 12-3 against ASA
Tel Aviv and 12-8 against Galatasaray Istanbul, finishing 1st in
their group. In the Netherlands, in qualifier Group A, Steaua defeated the host
team, Het Ravijn, 15-9, and then beat the Bosnian side Invictum Sarajevo, 29-2.
Two defeats followed: 3-10 against Vasas Budapest, of Hungary, and 11-14 against
Primorac Kotor, of Montenegro. The Romanian champions qualified into the second
round after they came out 3rd in their group.

Romania’s national team won the Carpathians
Trophy in women’s handball, held last week in the town of Bistriţa. Romania
started out with a draw against Austria, 32-all, a match in which they avoided
a defeat by scoring 2 goals in the last minute. Next came a 26-20 win against Serbia,
and in their last match manager Florentin Pera’s team defeated Spain, 25-23 and
finished top of the standings. Romania is training for the EURO 2022, a competition
scheduled to take place between 4 – 20 November in Slovenia, North Macedonia and
Montenegro. Romania is part of Group C, alongside France, the Netherlands and
North Macedonia.

This weekend saw matches counting towards
the 12th round of the Romanian football Super League. On Friday,
Universitatea Craiova drew against FC Voluntari, 1-all, while on Saturday the
other team based in Craiova, FC U, drew away from home against CS Mioveni, 2-all.
Also on Saturday, CFR Cluj won 1-0 against Petrolul Ploieşti. On Sunday,
Hermannstadt had their first defeat this season, 1-2 against Sepsi Sfântu
Gheorghe, Farul Constanţa beat UTA Arad 2-0, and in Bucharest FCSB struggled to
defeat FC Argeş, 3-2. The last 2 matches in this round were scheduled for
Monday: FC Botoşani vs Universitatea Cluj and Chindia Târgovişte vs Rapid
Bucharest. The current leaders in the ranking are Farul, with 27 points,
followed by Rapid, with 24, and Hermannstadt, with 22 points. (AMP)

3 October 2022
Radio Romania International Sports club

Romania’s national women’s volleyball team this past Sunday in Hadera grabbed a 3-2 away win against Israel, in sets, 22-25, 25-15, 25-21, 23-25 and 15-10. The fixture counted towards the qualifiers’ preliminary Group A ahead of the European Women’s Volleyball Championship of 2023. So, Romania’s women’s national volleyball team was one set clear as compared to runner-up team Croatia.

Our national squad had already secured its qualification to the final tournament. The team grabbed the win after two hours and four minutes of play. Top scorers for Romania were Adelina Budăi-Ungureanu, with 23 points, Diana Ariton, with 20, and Rodica Buterez, with 18 points. Israeli team’s top scorer was Polina Malik, with 28 points.

Romania’s national squad began its qualification campaign to the final tournament with a 3-nil home win against Israel. Then another 3-nil win occurred, this time away from home, against Faeroe Islands. Romania was defeated by Croatia, 1-3, also away from home. Romania then came from behind and secured a 3-1 home win in the return leg. In their 5th game as part of the qualifiers, our national squad grabbed a 3-nil home win against Faeroe Islands, in the return leg.

In another Group A fixture, Croatia defeated Faeroe Islands, 3-nil.

Romania is at the top of the table according to Group A’s final rankings, with 14 points and a 16-6 set score. Croatia was the runner-up team, also with 14 points and a 16-7 set score. Israel was 3rd-placed, with 8 points. Faeroe Islands was the bottom-of-the-table team, with zero points. Romania and Croatia have qualified to the 2023 edition of the final tournament, jointly organized by Belgium, Estonia, Germany and Italy. (EN)

14 September 2022
Radio Romania International Sports club

Romania’s national women’s volleyball team this past Sunday in Hadera grabbed a 3-2 away win against Israel, in sets, 22-25, 25-15, 25-21, 23-25 and 15-10. The fixture counted towards the qualifiers’ preliminary Group A ahead of the European Women’s Volleyball Championship of 2023. So, Romania’s women’s national volleyball team was one set clear as compared to runner-up team Croatia.

Our national squad had already secured its qualification to the final tournament. The team grabbed the win after two hours and four minutes of play. Top scorers for Romania were Adelina Budăi-Ungureanu, with 23 points, Diana Ariton, with 20, and Rodica Buterez, with 18 points. Israeli team’s top scorer was Polina Malik, with 28 points.

Romania’s national squad began its qualification campaign to the final tournament with a 3-nil home win against Israel. Then another 3-nil win occurred, this time away from home, against Faeroe Islands. Romania was defeated by Croatia, 1-3, also away from home. Romania then came from behind and secured a 3-1 home win in the return leg. In their 5th game as part of the qualifiers, our national squad grabbed a 3-nil home win against Faeroe Islands, in the return leg.

In another Group A fixture, Croatia defeated Faeroe Islands, 3-nil.

Romania is at the top of the table according to Group A’s final rankings, with 14 points and a 16-6 set score. Croatia was the runner-up team, also with 14 points and a 16-7 set score. Israel was 3rd-placed, with 8 points. Faeroe Islands was the bottom-of-the-table team, with zero points. Romania and Croatia have qualified to the 2023 edition of the final tournament, jointly organized by Belgium, Estonia, Germany and Italy. (EN)

14 September 2022
SPORTS ROUNDUP

In Group A of the
Women’s Volleyball European Championships qualifiers, Romania defeated Israel
away from home on Sunday, 3-2. In another game in the same group, Croatia beat Faeroe
Islands, 3-0. In the final group ranking, Romania comes 1st with 14 points,
followed by Croatia, also with 14 points, Israel (8 points) and Faeroe Islands
with 0 points. Romania and Croatia have qualified to the final tournament hosted
next year by Belgium, Estonia, Germany and Italy.

The Women’s Handball Champions League kicked
off this weekend, with good news for the participating Romanian teams, which
got off on the right foot. In Group A, on Sunday CSM Bucharest played at home against
the Slovenian side Ljubljana, and won cu 30-28. In a Group B match on Saturday,
Rapid defeated Lokomotiv Zagreb of Croatia away from home, 31-27.

On Saturday, in the
Eastern Conference of the Rugby Europe Super Cup, the Romanian Wolves played
their first match at home, against the Israeli side Tel Aviv Heat. The guests
won 25-20. In the other game in the conference, the Georgian side Black Lion defeated
another Georgian team, Batumi, 29-3.

In the 10th
round of the Romanian football League One, on Friday FC Botoșani lost at home
to UTA Arad 1-2. On Saturday, Chindia Târgoviște lost to Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe 1-2,
FC Hermannstadt defeated Petrolul Ploiești 2-1 and FCU Craiova beat Rapid Bucharest
1-0. On Sunday, Farul Constanța beat FC Argeș 3-0 and CFR Cluj defeated CSU
Craiova 2-0. The round concludes on Monday night with games pitting CS Mioveni against
Universitatea Cluj and FCSB against FC Voluntari. Farul tops the current
ranking with 21 points, followed by Rapid (also 21) and FC Hermannstadt (19). (AMP)

12 September 2022
SPORTS ROUNDUP

In Group A of the
Women’s Volleyball European Championships qualifiers, Romania defeated Israel
away from home on Sunday, 3-2. In another game in the same group, Croatia beat Faeroe
Islands, 3-0. In the final group ranking, Romania comes 1st with 14 points,
followed by Croatia, also with 14 points, Israel (8 points) and Faeroe Islands
with 0 points. Romania and Croatia have qualified to the final tournament hosted
next year by Belgium, Estonia, Germany and Italy.

The Women’s Handball Champions League kicked
off this weekend, with good news for the participating Romanian teams, which
got off on the right foot. In Group A, on Sunday CSM Bucharest played at home against
the Slovenian side Ljubljana, and won cu 30-28. In a Group B match on Saturday,
Rapid defeated Lokomotiv Zagreb of Croatia away from home, 31-27.

On Saturday, in the
Eastern Conference of the Rugby Europe Super Cup, the Romanian Wolves played
their first match at home, against the Israeli side Tel Aviv Heat. The guests
won 25-20. In the other game in the conference, the Georgian side Black Lion defeated
another Georgian team, Batumi, 29-3.

In the 10th
round of the Romanian football League One, on Friday FC Botoșani lost at home
to UTA Arad 1-2. On Saturday, Chindia Târgoviște lost to Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe 1-2,
FC Hermannstadt defeated Petrolul Ploiești 2-1 and FCU Craiova beat Rapid Bucharest
1-0. On Sunday, Farul Constanța beat FC Argeș 3-0 and CFR Cluj defeated CSU
Craiova 2-0. The round concludes on Monday night with games pitting CS Mioveni against
Universitatea Cluj and FCSB against FC Voluntari. Farul tops the current
ranking with 21 points, followed by Rapid (also 21) and FC Hermannstadt (19). (AMP)

12 September 2022
Sports flash

Romanian football team FCSB has won the first leg of the tie against Slovak opponents Dunajska Streda, 1-nil, away from home. The fixture counts towards the European competition’s third preliminary round. FCSB’s Montenegrin midfielder Risto Radunović’s free kick enabled Estonian center back Joonas Tamm to score an unstoppable header goal. FCSB had the upper hand throughout the game, tactically, but also in terms of physical engagement, so FCSB are the favorites to making headway into the competition. The return leg is scheduled this coming Thursday, on the National Arena in Bucharest. If they outclass Dunajska Streda, FCSB will play the winner of the fixture pitting Norway’s Viking Stavanger against Sligo Rovers of the Irish Republic. FCSB’s next scheduled confrontation will decide their access to the Conference League group stage.

The 2022 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships are underway in Halifax, Canada. The Romanian delegation’s main favorite to winning a medal, Cătălin Chirilă, on Wednesday qualified to the K1 500m race, having emerged as winner of the heat he was part of. Chirila clocked one minute, 50 seconds and 27 hundredths of a second, the best timing of this past Wednesday’s heat races. The Romanian was two seconds better than the 1000m race Olympic champion, the Brazilian Isaquias Queiroz. We recall that in 2022, at the World Championships in Copenhagen, no Romanian individual rower or crew succeeded to reach as far as the finals. In 2019, at then the World Championships in Hungary’s Szeged, Romania also had a lackluster run. Best-placed back then was the men’s canoe double 1000m crew, made of Victor Mihalachi and Cătălin Chirilă who came in 5th and who also secured their qualification to the Tokyo Olympics. In the 2017 edition of the of World Championships held in Racice, the Czech Republic, Victor Mihalachi and Leonid Carp won silver in the men’s canoe double 500m race.

On Wednesday, in the round of 16 as part of the WTA 250 Washington tennis tournament, an event with 215,750 USD in prize money, Simona Halep pulled out of competition. Third-seeded Halep had no choice other than retire for medical reasons, after only 66 minutes of play, when her opponent, Russia’s Ana Kalinskaya, had a 7-5, 2-nil advantage. In the women’s doubles, the Czech-Romanian pair made of Monica Niculescu and Lucie Hradecka advanced to the semifinals, having secured a 7-6, 3-6, 10-2 win against the all-American pair made of Makenna Jones and Sloane Stephens.(EN)

——

4 August 2022
Sports flash

Romanian football team FCSB has won the first leg of the tie against Slovak opponents Dunajska Streda, 1-nil, away from home. The fixture counts towards the European competition’s third preliminary round. FCSB’s Montenegrin midfielder Risto Radunović’s free kick enabled Estonian center back Joonas Tamm to score an unstoppable header goal. FCSB had the upper hand throughout the game, tactically, but also in terms of physical engagement, so FCSB are the favorites to making headway into the competition. The return leg is scheduled this coming Thursday, on the National Arena in Bucharest. If they outclass Dunajska Streda, FCSB will play the winner of the fixture pitting Norway’s Viking Stavanger against Sligo Rovers of the Irish Republic. FCSB’s next scheduled confrontation will decide their access to the Conference League group stage.

The 2022 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships are underway in Halifax, Canada. The Romanian delegation’s main favorite to winning a medal, Cătălin Chirilă, on Wednesday qualified to the K1 500m race, having emerged as winner of the heat he was part of. Chirila clocked one minute, 50 seconds and 27 hundredths of a second, the best timing of this past Wednesday’s heat races. The Romanian was two seconds better than the 1000m race Olympic champion, the Brazilian Isaquias Queiroz. We recall that in 2022, at the World Championships in Copenhagen, no Romanian individual rower or crew succeeded to reach as far as the finals. In 2019, at then the World Championships in Hungary’s Szeged, Romania also had a lackluster run. Best-placed back then was the men’s canoe double 1000m crew, made of Victor Mihalachi and Cătălin Chirilă who came in 5th and who also secured their qualification to the Tokyo Olympics. In the 2017 edition of the of World Championships held in Racice, the Czech Republic, Victor Mihalachi and Leonid Carp won silver in the men’s canoe double 500m race.

On Wednesday, in the round of 16 as part of the WTA 250 Washington tennis tournament, an event with 215,750 USD in prize money, Simona Halep pulled out of competition. Third-seeded Halep had no choice other than retire for medical reasons, after only 66 minutes of play, when her opponent, Russia’s Ana Kalinskaya, had a 7-5, 2-nil advantage. In the women’s doubles, the Czech-Romanian pair made of Monica Niculescu and Lucie Hradecka advanced to the semifinals, having secured a 7-6, 3-6, 10-2 win against the all-American pair made of Makenna Jones and Sloane Stephens.(EN)

——

4 August 2022
Radio Romania International Sports club

The ongoing WTA tennis tournament
in Great Britain’s Birmingham is an event with 251, 750 USD in prize money. Both
Halep and Cirstea sustained defeats in the semi-finals. Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia defeated Simona
Halep, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Sorana Cirstea sustained a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 defeat by China’s
Shuai Zhang. Simona Halep and Sorana Cirstea both received a cheque worth
11,000 USD and were granted 110 WTA points.

Qualifiers ahead of the
Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon are well underway. In 2022, the tournament does
not include tennis players from Russia and Belarus. In the ladies’ competition,
the Romanian Alexandra Cadanţu-Ignatik defeated another Romanian, Cristina
Dinu, 6-3, 6-1. In another match,
the Romanian Gabriela Lee sustained a 2-6, 4-6 defeat by Zoe Hives of
Australia. Another Romanian, Laura-Ioana Paar was defeated by US challenger Christina McHale, 2-6,
6-4, 6-4. Cadanțu received a cheque worth 19, 000 GBP and was granted 20 WTA
points. Dinu, Lee and Paar each received a cheque worth 11,000 GBP and were
granted 2 WTA points.

In the gentlemen’s competition,
the Romanian Marius Copil sustained a 4-6, 3-6 defeat by the French opponent Constant
Lestienne. Marius Copil received a
cheque worth 11,000 GBP.

Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek is
at the top of the world women’s rankings. Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit and
Tunisian Ons Jabeur are 2nd and 3rd-placed, respectively.
The world’s top 100 tennis players include 5 other Romanians. Simona Halep is 19th-placed,
Sorana Cîrstea is 36th, Irina-Camelia Begu, 43rd, Elena-Gabriela Ruse is 55th-placed,
while Jacqueline Cristian is 70th-placed. The WTA men’s classification
is headed by Daniil Medvedev, who is followed by Germany’s Alexander Zverev and
Novak Djokovic of Serbia. The best-placed
Romanian tennis player is Nicholas David Ionel, ranking 307th.

(EN)

22 June 2022
Radio Romania International Sports club

The ongoing WTA tennis tournament
in Great Britain’s Birmingham is an event with 251, 750 USD in prize money. Both
Halep and Cirstea sustained defeats in the semi-finals. Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia defeated Simona
Halep, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Sorana Cirstea sustained a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 defeat by China’s
Shuai Zhang. Simona Halep and Sorana Cirstea both received a cheque worth
11,000 USD and were granted 110 WTA points.

Qualifiers ahead of the
Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon are well underway. In 2022, the tournament does
not include tennis players from Russia and Belarus. In the ladies’ competition,
the Romanian Alexandra Cadanţu-Ignatik defeated another Romanian, Cristina
Dinu, 6-3, 6-1. In another match,
the Romanian Gabriela Lee sustained a 2-6, 4-6 defeat by Zoe Hives of
Australia. Another Romanian, Laura-Ioana Paar was defeated by US challenger Christina McHale, 2-6,
6-4, 6-4. Cadanțu received a cheque worth 19, 000 GBP and was granted 20 WTA
points. Dinu, Lee and Paar each received a cheque worth 11,000 GBP and were
granted 2 WTA points.

In the gentlemen’s competition,
the Romanian Marius Copil sustained a 4-6, 3-6 defeat by the French opponent Constant
Lestienne. Marius Copil received a
cheque worth 11,000 GBP.

Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek is
at the top of the world women’s rankings. Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit and
Tunisian Ons Jabeur are 2nd and 3rd-placed, respectively.
The world’s top 100 tennis players include 5 other Romanians. Simona Halep is 19th-placed,
Sorana Cîrstea is 36th, Irina-Camelia Begu, 43rd, Elena-Gabriela Ruse is 55th-placed,
while Jacqueline Cristian is 70th-placed. The WTA men’s classification
is headed by Daniil Medvedev, who is followed by Germany’s Alexander Zverev and
Novak Djokovic of Serbia. The best-placed
Romanian tennis player is Nicholas David Ionel, ranking 307th.

(EN)

22 June 2022
Sports weekend

Winter training sessions are underway for several
Romanian football teams, ahead of the season scheduled to kickstart next week. Holders
CFR are in Spain with a couple of friendly matches on schedule. In Oliva Nova
on Thursday, Dan Petrescu’s trainees grabbed a 1-nil win against 4th-tier
Spanish team La Nucia. CFR’s Gabriel Debeljuh succeeded the only goal of the
game. CFR’s games against Swiss teams St. Gallen and C Lugano, as well as the match
against Hungarian side Ferencvaros have been cancelled by the latter clubs. On Saturday,
holders CFR play another Spanish lower-echelon team, Alzira.

With its training session in Turkey’s
Antalya in progress, FC Botosani sustained a 2-3 defeat by Polish
opponents Lechia Gdansk. Scoring for Marius Croitoru’s trainees were Congolese
footballer Hervé Kage on 15 minutes and Albanian footballer Enriko Papa in minute
53. This coming Sunday, FC Botosani take on Hungary’s Paksi and the National
team of Uganda.

In Melbourne, Romanian tennis player Irina
Bara this past Friday sustained a 2-6, 1-6 defeat by Bulgarian opponent Viktoria
Tomova, in the final round of the Australian Open qualifiers. Coming straight from
the qualifiers, five Romanian tennis players will be included in the tournament’s
women’s singles main draw. They are Simona Halep, Sorana Cîrstea, Irina Begu,
Jaqueline Cristian and Gabriela Ruse.

Fixtures counting towards the Champions League
in women’s handball are to be resumed at the weekend. In Montenegro, CSM
Bucharest play Buducnost Podgorica. Cristina Neagu’s team is 5th-placed
in Group A, with 4 wins and four defeats on its record sheet, while Buducnost is
7th-placed in the group.

Matches counting
towards the 2nd round of the European League’s group stage are also
scheduled at the weekend. In Group B on Saturday, Minaur
Baia Mare take on German team Bietigheim, while in Group C Măgura Cisnădie travel
to Denmark for their match against Herning-Ikast. In Group D, this coming Sunday,
SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea play a home fixture against Hungarian team Vac.

(EN)

14 January 2022
Sports weekend

Winter training sessions are underway for several
Romanian football teams, ahead of the season scheduled to kickstart next week. Holders
CFR are in Spain with a couple of friendly matches on schedule. In Oliva Nova
on Thursday, Dan Petrescu’s trainees grabbed a 1-nil win against 4th-tier
Spanish team La Nucia. CFR’s Gabriel Debeljuh succeeded the only goal of the
game. CFR’s games against Swiss teams St. Gallen and C Lugano, as well as the match
against Hungarian side Ferencvaros have been cancelled by the latter clubs. On Saturday,
holders CFR play another Spanish lower-echelon team, Alzira.

With its training session in Turkey’s
Antalya in progress, FC Botosani sustained a 2-3 defeat by Polish
opponents Lechia Gdansk. Scoring for Marius Croitoru’s trainees were Congolese
footballer Hervé Kage on 15 minutes and Albanian footballer Enriko Papa in minute
53. This coming Sunday, FC Botosani take on Hungary’s Paksi and the National
team of Uganda.

In Melbourne, Romanian tennis player Irina
Bara this past Friday sustained a 2-6, 1-6 defeat by Bulgarian opponent Viktoria
Tomova, in the final round of the Australian Open qualifiers. Coming straight from
the qualifiers, five Romanian tennis players will be included in the tournament’s
women’s singles main draw. They are Simona Halep, Sorana Cîrstea, Irina Begu,
Jaqueline Cristian and Gabriela Ruse.

Fixtures counting towards the Champions League
in women’s handball are to be resumed at the weekend. In Montenegro, CSM
Bucharest play Buducnost Podgorica. Cristina Neagu’s team is 5th-placed
in Group A, with 4 wins and four defeats on its record sheet, while Buducnost is
7th-placed in the group.

Matches counting
towards the 2nd round of the European League’s group stage are also
scheduled at the weekend. In Group B on Saturday, Minaur
Baia Mare take on German team Bietigheim, while in Group C Măgura Cisnădie travel
to Denmark for their match against Herning-Ikast. In Group D, this coming Sunday,
SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea play a home fixture against Hungarian team Vac.

(EN)

14 January 2022
Athlete of the week

Romania’s men’s lawn tennis team are that close to
earning their participation in the Davis Cup’s final tournament. This past
weekend in Cluj Napoca, the Romanians defeated Portugal, 3-1, in a match
counting towards the first tour in World Group I. On Saturday, in the first
men’s singles confrontation, Portugal’s Joao Sousa defeated Filip Cristian Jianu,
6-3, 7-5. In the second confrontation on Saturday, Marius Copil grabbed a 6-4,
6-3 win against Gastao Elias. On Sunday, in the men’s doubles confrontation,
Marius Copil and Horia Tecău defeated Nuno Borges and Joao Sousa, 6-4, 6-3. In
the second men’s singles match, Marius Copil defeated Sousa, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
Copil’s feat sealed Romania’s win against Portugal. Marius had a substantial contribution
to all three points on Romania’s record sheet. Reason enough for Radio Romania
International to designate Copil the Athlete of the week.

Marius Copil was born in the western Romanian town of
Arad on October17, 1990, into a family of athletes. His father was a rugby
player, while his mother played handball. Marius took up tennis at the age of
7. He turned pro in 2008. Marius Copil earned his place among the world’s top
100 players in May 2017. Copil reached as far as an ATP tournament final twice,
in 2018. In the first final match, Marius
Copil was defeated by Bosnian challenger Mirza Basic, in Sofia. The second tournament in Basel
saw Copil sustaining a defeat by Roger Federer. The Swiss tournament has meant Marius
Copil’s career best so far. The Romanian’s trail began in the qualifiers and
included six wins against better-placed opponents. Among them, Croatia’s Marin Cilic and the German Alexander Zverev. Early
into 2019, when Copil advanced to the Australian Open’s second round, he was 56th
placed according to the men’s singles world rankings. It was Copil’s career
best so far, according to the professional tennis rankings at world level. As
we speak, Marius Copil is 248th-placed according to world rankings.

(Transl;ation by Eugen Nasta)

21 September 2021
Athlete of the week

Romania’s men’s lawn tennis team are that close to
earning their participation in the Davis Cup’s final tournament. This past
weekend in Cluj Napoca, the Romanians defeated Portugal, 3-1, in a match
counting towards the first tour in World Group I. On Saturday, in the first
men’s singles confrontation, Portugal’s Joao Sousa defeated Filip Cristian Jianu,
6-3, 7-5. In the second confrontation on Saturday, Marius Copil grabbed a 6-4,
6-3 win against Gastao Elias. On Sunday, in the men’s doubles confrontation,
Marius Copil and Horia Tecău defeated Nuno Borges and Joao Sousa, 6-4, 6-3. In
the second men’s singles match, Marius Copil defeated Sousa, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
Copil’s feat sealed Romania’s win against Portugal. Marius had a substantial contribution
to all three points on Romania’s record sheet. Reason enough for Radio Romania
International to designate Copil the Athlete of the week.

Marius Copil was born in the western Romanian town of
Arad on October17, 1990, into a family of athletes. His father was a rugby
player, while his mother played handball. Marius took up tennis at the age of
7. He turned pro in 2008. Marius Copil earned his place among the world’s top
100 players in May 2017. Copil reached as far as an ATP tournament final twice,
in 2018. In the first final match, Marius
Copil was defeated by Bosnian challenger Mirza Basic, in Sofia. The second tournament in Basel
saw Copil sustaining a defeat by Roger Federer. The Swiss tournament has meant Marius
Copil’s career best so far. The Romanian’s trail began in the qualifiers and
included six wins against better-placed opponents. Among them, Croatia’s Marin Cilic and the German Alexander Zverev. Early
into 2019, when Copil advanced to the Australian Open’s second round, he was 56th
placed according to the men’s singles world rankings. It was Copil’s career
best so far, according to the professional tennis rankings at world level. As
we speak, Marius Copil is 248th-placed according to world rankings.

(Transl;ation by Eugen Nasta)

21 September 2021
RRI Sports Club

On Thursday Romania’s football team resumes the qualifiers for next years World Cup in Qatar. The Romanian team will take on, in Reykjavik, the team of Iceland, in the 4th match played in preliminary group J. It will be followed by the match with Liechtenstein, on Sunday, in Bucharest. Then, next Wednesday, Romania’s footballers will be up against the team of Northern Macedonia, in Skopje. Of the three matches played so far, Romania has won only one, namely the debut one: 3-2 with Northern Macedonia, on March 25. On March 28, Romania’s footballers were defeated on home turf, 0-1, by Germany, and 3 days later, in Yerevan, they lost, for the first time, to Armenia – score 2 – 3. At this moment, in Group J, Armenia is on 1st position, with 9 points out of 9. It is followed by Northern Macedonia and Germany, with 6 points each. Romania and Iceland are ranked on the last two places in the group, with 3 points each, being separated by the goal average.

For the matches with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Northern Macedonia, the coach of the Romanian national football team, Mirel Rădoi, summoned six newcomers: goalkeeper Marian Aioani and defender Virgil Ghiță, from Farul Constanța, midfielders Andrei Cordea, from FCSB and Marius Marin, from the Italian team Pisa, defender, Andrei Rațiu, from the Spanish team Huesca, and striker Jovan Markovic, from Universitatea Craiova. Of the established players, the striker Florin Tănase, the captain of FCSB team, Romania’s vice-champions, will be missing, as he injured his right ankle in the last match played by his club team in League I and left the national team’s training camp in Mogoșoaia.

The team selected by Rădoi is made up of relatively young footballers with not much experience in international matches. There are a few exceptions though, namely Vlad Chiricheș, from Sassuolo, with 64 selections, Nicolae Stanciu, from Slavia Prague, with 42 selections to the national team, Răzvan Marin, from Cagliari, with 30 selections, and Alin Toșca, from Gaziantep, with 25. As for the rest of the team’s footballers, they have not played for the national team more than 20 times. (LS)

1 September 2021