Radio România Internațional

Tag: Tig

September 1, 2023

SCHENGEN ‘It is in the national
interest of Hungary that Romania join Schengen as soon as possible’ the
country’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto’ said firmly asking Austria not to
block the accession of Romania to Europe’s border-free area this autumn.
According to the Hungarian news agency MTI, the official in Budapest said the
decision on accession must be based on facts. According to him, Romania is
Hungary’s third export market and an investment place very popular with the Hungarian
investors. The Hungarian Foreign Minister has also mentioned that a minority of
Romanians is living on the Hungarian territory while a Hungarian minority is
living in Romania. In December last year, Austria blocked Romania and
Bulgaria’s access to Schengen invoking that it could not support its enlargement
as long as this area is not functional.

VISIT The first formal
visit, the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has paid to Brussels since he
took office, kicks off today with a meeting with the European Council president
Charles Michel. Ciolacu will also have talks with the head of the European
Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, and with the president of the European
Parliament Roberta Metsola. ‘Romania is stable politically and economically and
has seen the second biggest economic growth among the EU members, strongly
supported by the direct foreign investment. We are going to preserve the
dynamics of the Romanian economy and the investors’ trust through the reform we
have been making in the essential fields’, the Romanian Prime Minister went on
to say. Romania would like to be allowed a budget deficit over 5% and in order
to convince Brussels, the Prime Minister is expected to propose a series of
fiscal measures. These include bringing the number of VAT quotas down to only two
and cancelling a number of facilities. Ciolacu is expected to explain that Romania
needs a budget deficit of 5% because the country has supported the neighboring
Ukraine affected by the war.

DIPLOMACY The
Romanian diplomacy will continue to support and promote solid partnerships and
relationships based on democratic values, respect for fundamental freedoms and
rights, international law and order based on rules – the Romanian Foreign
Minister Luminita Odobescu said on Friday. In her message on the Romanian
Diplomacy Day, Mrs. Odobescu recalls that this day is being celebrated ‘in a
difficult and complex regional context, which jointly with the accelerated
global developments calls more than ever for a predictable foreign policy,
coherent, adjusted, dynamic and anticipating.’ Referring to the priorities of
the Romanian diplomacy, Mrs. Odobescu enumerated the increasing role and
influence of Romania’s inside the EU and NATO as well as the development and
deepening of the country’s Strategic Partnership with the USA. And neither will
the development of the consular services for the Romanian nationals outside the
country be neglected – the Romanian official went on to say.

TEAM A team of the European Commission is to visit Romania on
Friday and Saturday for talks on ways to streamline the local capabilities
handling the Ukrainian grain exports, after Russia has left the initiative
regarding these exports through the Black Sea and is presently threatening
maritime civil transportation. The expert team will be visiting the ports of
Galati, on the Danube and meet representatives of the Lower Danube
Administration, port authorities and pilots. The team will also travel to the
Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta for talks with the representatives of the
operators, transporters and grain traders here, the European Commission has
announced.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea
will be up against fourth seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the third
round of the US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. Cirstea has
never made it through the third round of this famous competition, which she attended
in 2009, 2019 and 2020. Last year Cirstea was eliminated in the second round.
Another Romanian player, Patricia Tig has been eliminated today by the US
challenger Jessica Pagula 6-3, 6-1.

(bill)

1 September 2023
October 3, 2020

SUMMIT Prevention measures and the making of a vaccine against the novel
coronavirus were the main issues of the European Council proceedings, which
ended in Brussels on Friday. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von
der Leyen announced that the Union was holding talks with several companies for
the purchase of a potential COVID-19 vaccine. She said the situation is
worrying and that the European states and institutions can overcome this
situation only if they cooperate. Attending the summit, the Romanian president,
Klaus Iohannis, appreciated the EU’s diplomatic efforts for defusing the
situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and reiterated Romania’s solidarity with
Greece and Cyprus, whose sovereignty must be respected. The head of the
Romanian state highlighted the need for a balanced and constructive approach of
the EU-Turkey relations.

PANDEMIC 34.5 million people have been confirmed infected with the novel
coronavirus the world over with a death toll standing at over one million, data
released by the US-based Johns Hopkins University shows. US president Donald
Trump has been admitted to a military hospital after having been infected with
the novel coronavirus, but he has given assurances that he is feeling all right.
The pandemic has a fast advancement in India, which has reported 100 thousand
new cases daily and a total number of infections of 6.4 million people. 100
thousand Indians have so far been killed by the virus. The highest mortality
rate has been reported in Mexico though, where 753 thousand people have been
reported infected and the death toll is around 78 thousand. In Europe, where
several countries are currently facing a second wave of the pandemic,
authorities are increasing the number of restrictions to contain the spreading.
This is the case of Spain, whose capital, Madrid and another eight cities in
the region are in quarantine for another two weeks. New infections have been
reported in Ukraine, Hungary, Russia and Northern Macedonia.

COVID-19 2,064 new COVID-19
infections and 32 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours in Romania.
583 people are in intensive care units. The death toll since the beginning of the
pandemic stands at 4,947 and a total number of over 134.000 cases has been
confirmed. The high number of infections has prompted the country’s
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban to request daily checking on the observance of
protection measures. Orban says that where the rate of infection exceeds 1.5
cases per thousand, any activity in restaurants, bars and other indoor
facilities will cease. In another development over 338 education units in
Romania are offering online courses as over 770 students have been confirmed
positive for the novel coronavirus in the past week, according to data released
by the country’s Health Minister Nelu Tataru. He made an appeal for complying
with the hygiene rules to limit the spreading of the virus particularly in schools.
According to Tataru, Romania does not need to impose the state of emergency.

TENNIS Two tennis players from Romania are today vying for a place in the round
of 16 of the Roland Garros tennis tournament. One of them is Irina Bara who is
taking on Sofia Kenin of the US. Kenin is a champion in the Australian Open and
has eliminated another Romanian in the previous round, WTA’s 93rd Ana Bogdan.
Romania’s second representative, Patricia Tig will be up against Fiona Ferro of
France. The odds-on favourite Simona Halep, also from Romania, secured a clear
win against US challenger Amanda Anisimova and will be up against Iga Swiatek
of Poland in the competition’s next round.

(bill)

3 October 2020
October 2, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 2,343 new Covid-19 infections and 53 fatalities
have been reported in Romania in the past 24 hours. 571 patients are in
intensive care units. 132 thousand infections have been confirmed in Romania
since the beginning of the pandemic and a death toll of 4,915. The high number
of infections has prompted the country’s Prime Minister Ludovic Orban to call
for daily checking on the observance of safety regulations. Orban has recalled
that in the places where the infection rate exceeds 1.5 cases per thousand in the past 14 days, any activity in bars,
restaurants and other indoor institutions will cease until the situation
improves. 338 education units in Romania are offering online courses as over
770 children have been confirmed infected in the past week, according to data
announced by the country’s Health Minister Nelu Tataru.

MEETING Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis on Thursday and Friday attended the European Council
proceedings in Brussels. High on the agenda were talks over the Single Market,
the industrial policy and the latest developments in the digital field as well
as foreign policy issues such as the situation in Eastern Mediterranean, the
relations with China and Belarus, the attempted murder on Alexei Navalny and
the latest developments in Nagorno-Karabakh. The EU leaders briefly tackled the
EU-UK talks. Also high on the agenda was the need for an effective coordination
at European level in terms of safety measures against the present pandemic, the
access to medicine and efforts to come up with a vaccine a.s.a.p, the
preservation of the interior market and the national economies. According to
Iohannis, a consolidated interior market is aimed at increasing the EU’s
strategic autonomy and reducing its dependence on third parties. He highlighted
the need for a through development of the physical and digital infrastructure,
essential aspects for raising the level of convergence and cohesion among the member
countries. Iohannis also highlighted the social dimension of the single market
against the present pandemic background. He also reiterated solidarity with
Cyprus and Greece and hailed the beginning of talks between Greece and Turkey
pleading for solutions through dialogue to the present situation. President
Iohannis has highlighted the need for a balanced and constructive approach of
the EU-Turkey talks.

PANDEMIC The global number of Covid-19 infections
has reached 34.5 million cases, while some 1.02 million people have died. Over
25.6 million people have recovered, the worldometers.info website reads. In
Brazil there are nearly 145,000 deaths and over 4.8 million confirmed
infections, making it the second-most affected country in the world after the
United States. The US President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that both
himself and his wife, the First Lady, Melania Trump, have tested positive for
COVID-19. In Israel, the infection rate stands at 13% of the total number of
people tested. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the current mobility
restrictions introduced at national level aren’t paying out, so the authorities
are planning on introducing new measures to prevent the disease from spreading.
In Europe major cities in Spain but also the capital city of France will
further tighten health safety measures as of Monday. Even a viable vaccine
against the coronavirus won’t be able to get life back to its normal track next
spring, British scientists have warned. Over 200 vaccines against COVID-19 are
being developed by scientists around the world at unprecedented speed, the BBC
reports.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Simona Halep on Friday outperformed US
challenger Amanda Anisimova in the third round of the Grand Slam tournament in
Roland Garros. Halep, champion in Paris in 2018 will be up against Iga Swiatek
of Poland in the competition’s next round. Also on Friday, Romanians Patricia
Tig and Andreea Mitu outperformed the Russian-Italian pair Varvara
Gracheva/Jasmine Paolini. The Romanian-Japanese pair Monica Niculescu/Misaki
Doi lost to Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.

(bill)

2 October 2020
September 14,2020 UPDATE

ALERT The government in Bucharest has for the fourth time extended the
state of alert against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, upon a proposal
by the National Committee for Emergency Situations. The Romanian government has
also been considering fresh measures to safely hold the local election on
September 27th. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has said that he has
been considering the use of larger rooms and outdoor spaces allowing people to
keep a physical distance. Voters will have to wear facemasks and demonstrations
of up to 100 people are allowed with the observance of the rules also valid in
case of election meetings. The first state of alert was instated on May 15th
after Romania had been on the state of emergency for two months. The total
number of infections with the novel coronavirus, almost seven months since the
first case was reported in Romania has exceeded 104 thousand and the death toll
stands at 4185.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Patricia Tig reaped her first WTA title in
Istanbul on Sunday after a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 win against Eugenie Bouchard of
Canada. This has been the third WTA finals for Tig after those in Baku (2015)
and Bucharest (2019). Her prize closet also includes a WTA 125 K title, which
she won in Karlsruhe. In Italy, another Romanian, Irina Begu, has qualified for
the main draw after a 6-1, 6-1 win against Ana Lena Friedsam of Germany in the
qualifiers. The Romanian will be taking on Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy who
benefitted from a wild card. Top-seed Romanian challenger Simona Halep will be
playing in the competition’s second round against Italian Jasmine Paolini.

SCHOOLS An atypical school year began in
Romania on Monday with special coronavirus protection measures in place.
Education is a vital prerequisite for a civilised society, and children are
returning to schools with one more lesson to learn-how to take care of one’s
health and of the health of others, said PM Ludovic Orban in a message on this
occasion. He warned that the danger posed by the disease is not over and that
the new school year is a challenge for children, their families, teachers and
authorities.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan
Aurescu had telephone talks with his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi,
following the political consultations held during his visit to Israel this
month. According to the Foreign Ministry, the 2 officials reviewed the
preparations for a new joint government meeting due next year. They also looked
at the arrangements for the set up of a new expert group preparing the meeting,
which will focus on mutually relevant topics like agriculture, water
management, IT, cyber security and AI. The talk also occasioned an exchange of
opinions on the Middle East peace process. Romania supports the resolution of
this problem based on international law and on the 2-state solution, Israel and
Palestine, living next to each other in peace and prosperity, the Romanian
foreign minister said. On September 2-3, minister Aurescu discussed with
high-level political officials both in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and in Ramallah.

PANDEMIC Many countries are reintroducing
lockdowns in the context of a so-called second wave of the COVID 19 pandemic.
The World Health Organisation Sunday reported nearly 308,000 new infections for
the last 24 hours, a new global record, Reuters reports. The most significant
increases were in India, the USA and Brazil. The total number of cases
worldwide is nearing 29.2 million, and the number of COVID-related deaths is
928,000. Israel reintroduced a 3-week lockdown in a move to contain the new
wave. Strict restrictions regarding groups larger than 6 people have come into
force in the UK today. And also as of Monday, face masks, already compulsory in
supermarkets and public transportation, must be worn in all public buildings
and shops in Austria.

(tr bill)

14 September 2020
September 13, 2020

COVID-19 The government in Bucharest is expected to endorse on Monday a
decision on extending the state of alert on Romania’s territory against the
background of the latest developments in the pandemic. Romania presently
registers a daily number of infections of 13 hundred and the total number of
infections since the beginning of the pandemic has exceeded 102 thousand with a
death toll of 41 hundred. 126 Romanians have been killed by the virus abroad.
The number of infections worldwide has almost reached 29 million and 924
thousand people have died, data released by the Johns Hopkins University has
revealed. The US is the most affected country with more than 6.6 million cases
and over 198 thousand fatalities. India has registered more than 4.7 million
cases and 78 thousand dead. Brazil comes next with 4.3 million infections and
more than 131 thousand deaths. The situation is worrying in many European countries,
France has exceeded 10 thousand infections a day while in Spain, the first week
of school has ended with thousands of infections, which led to the isolation of
several classes. France and Spain were together with Italy and the UK the most
affected countries in the first months of the pandemic.

SCHOOL A new school year is due to begin in Romania on Monday under conditions
adjusted to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Courses will be taking
place according to the latest epidemiological developments. Most of the
country’s schools, over 12 thousand, have been considered to be in the green
zone where students are allowed to go to courses. Rotating schedules are in
place at the nearly 5 thousand schools currently in the yellow zone, while
online courses have been made available for students at those nearly 240 in the
red zone. According to Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, local authorities and
schools have at their disposal 175 million Euros to buy tablets for online
courses. According to the Romanian official, money has been earmarked for
buying masks and disinfectants in schools. Furthermore, Orban has given
assurances the authorities are ready to intervene in any situation, which might
appear in an epidemiological context after the beginning of the school year.

MESSAGE Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis has conveyed a message on the Firefighters Day
celebrated on September 13th in Romania, saying that in these days, when the
world is facing the Covid pandemic, firefighters have again shown
professionalism and courage, determination and sacrifice in order to contribute
together with other state institutions to the citizens’ safety and health. The
president has mentioned the responsible way in which firefighters have continued
to do their jobs and fight calamities and natural disasters, being an essential
support institution, a guarantor of normality, the right to life, private
property and health inside communities.

TENNIS Romanian
tennis player Patricia Tig has qualified for the finals of the WTA tournament
in Istanbul after a 6-3, 6-3 win against Tereza Martincova of the Czech
Republic. The Romanian player is due to take on Eugenie Bouchard of Canada in
the finals. Bouchard comes after a 6-3, 6-2 win against Paula Badosa Gibert of
Spain in the semis. This would be Tig’s third WTA finals after the ones in Baku
in 2015 and Bucharest in 2019. Her prize closet includes a WTA 125K title in
Karlsruhe last year.

(translated by bill)

13 September 2020
September 3, 2020

GOVERNMENT The Romanian government is today
expected to endorse an emergency ordinance bill on certain measures needed for
the National Plan for Re-launch and Resilience. Romania needs such a plan in
order to be able to access European money allotted through the Recovery and
Resilience Facility. The country has been earmarked 30 billion Euros out of a
total 80 billion. This mechanism is the first and most important pillar of the
750 billion euro Recovery Package the European Commission announced in May. The
government is tackling several bills on funding the installation of
photo-voltaic panels at SMEs and enterprises from the hospitality industry in
Romania. Also high on the agenda is another emergency ordinance bill allowing
employees who didn’t pay their social security contributions to pay them in six
years since the contract was signed. The government believes that such a
measure can bring more money to the budget.

NAVALNY Western leaders and
institutions have firmly condemned the poisoning of Russian opposition leader
Alexei Navalny and called on Moscow to provide explanations and assurances that
the culprits will be brought to justice. Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan
Aurescu says that Navalny’s poisoning is completely unacceptable and has called
for a thorough and impartial investigation. On Wednesday, Germany announced
that Navalny, presently in a hospital in Berlin, was poisoned with a novichok
nerve agent. The use of chemical weapons under any circumstances, is completely
unacceptable and a breach of international law, the head of the European
diplomacy Josep Borrell said. The White House has also voiced concern regarding
the incident pledging cooperation with its allies to bring the culprits to
justice. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian government, says the
authorities in Moscow are ready to cooperate with the German executive to
uncover the circumstances of Navalny’s poisoning. This fourth-generation nerve
agent has been used to eliminate numerous Kremlin critics, although Moscow has
always denied any allegation.

COVID-19 The number of Covid infections
in Romania stands at 90 thousand with a death toll over 37 hundred. The
country’s president Klaus Iohannis has again appealed for compliance with
prevention rules and regulations as worrying figures have been reported during
the pandemic. The president believes the school year can begin on September 14th
in Romania, but unless the situation improves, authorities are considering
alternative scenarios.

VISIT Romania’s
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is today being received by Israeli president
Reuven Rivlin after which the Romanian official is going to Ramallah to meet
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and other Palestinian officials.
On Wednesday, the head of the Romanian diplomacy held talks with Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi. Aurescu and
Ashkenazi signed a cooperation programme between Romania and Israel in the
fields of culture, economy and trade. The two officials tackled the latest
developments in the Middle East. Aurescu pointed out that Romania had
constantly stood, including at the EU level, for a sustainable peace solution
and the resumption of direct talks with the Palestinians.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Patricia
Tig today takes on Donna Vekic of Croatia in the second round of the US Open
underway in Flushing Meadows, New York. Another Romanian, Sorana Cirstea will
be taking on Johanna Conta of Britain in the same competition stage. Tig and
Cirstea are Romania’s only representatives in the singles contest. In the men’s
doubles, Romanian Horia Tecau and his Dutch team mate Jean-Julien Rojer are
today taking on Salvadorian Marcelo Arevalo and Jonny O’Mara of Britain.
Yesterday, the pair made up of Romanian Raluca Olaru and Sara Sorribes of Spain
was outperformed by the Czech-Slovakian pair Lucie Hradecka/Andreja Klepac.

(translated by bill)

3 September 2020
July 16, 2019 UPDATE

REVIEW Romania has confirmed the statute of a full-fledged member by
holding the EU-rotating presidency, which proves the legitimacy of its
aspiration towards the ending of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism,
Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila told the European Parliament on
Tuesday. According to Dancila, no differences should exist between member
states. During a review of the Romanian presidency of the European Union in Strasbourg
on Tuesday, Mrs. Dancila said that Bucharest continues to promote the common
objective of consolidating the European project and to concurrently achieve the
country’s integration into the Schengen zone. The mandate, Romania’s first
since the country’s EU accession in 2007, has been appreciated as a successful
one, thanks to the results obtained, including 90 legislative files and the
summit in Sibiu, central Romania. Also in Strasbourg, Viorica Dancila held
talks with the new president of the European Legislature, Italian Maria
Sassoli.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Patricia Tig on Tuesday clinched a 6-2,
6-1 win against Anna Bondar of Hungary and thus qualified for the round of 16
of the BRD Bucharest OPEN, a competition with 250 thousand dollars in prize
money. Another Romanian, Camelia Begu on Tuesday qualified for the second round
of the aforementioned competition after a two-set win 7-5, 6-1 against Aleksandra
Krunic of Serbia. Begu will take on Kaja Juvan of Slovenia in the competition’s
next stage. Also on Tuesday Romanian
Irina Bara was eliminated by Australian Jaimee Fourlis in two sets 3-6, 6-7.

DRILL Romania
has joined another 11 EU countries to participate in an international military
exercise called Breeze 2019, unfolding until July 21st in Bulgaria’s
territorial waters at the Black Sea. The drill has brought together 2,000 servicemen
from Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, France, Italy, Poland,
Romania, the US and Turkey. The main objective of the exercise is to increase
interoperability and interaction between the naval forces of the participating
countries. A maritime security operation will be simulated during the exercise,
which involves the participation of 26 warships and auxiliary vessels, as well
as 10 planes and helicopters, the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 and the
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group. Representatives of various
institutions, NGOs and state-owned organisations are also attending the
exercise.

(translated by bill)

16 July 2019
WTA-Turnier in Madrid: Rumänisches Quartett im Viertelfinale

Rumänien könnte den heutigen Tag ebenso gut zum Nationalfeiertag deklarieren, sagte der Kommentator des Senders Tennis-TV am Mittwochabend nach dem letzten Achtelfinale des Masters in Madrid. Was war passiert? Die rumänische Qualifikantin Patricia Ţig, Nummer 134. der Welt, war ihren drei Landsfrauen ins Viertelfinale gefolgt. Jetzt besteht die Hälfte des verbliebenen Hauptfeldes aus rumänischen Profis. Ein wohl historischer Moment.

Die 21-jährige Ţig gewann in nur einer Stunde und 16 Minute ihre Begegnung mit der gleichaltrigen US-Amerikanerin Madison Keys. Keys ist derzeit auf Platz 25. in den Rankings zu finden. Die Rumänin begann das Spiel eindrucksvoll und führte schnell mit 4:0. Ihre Gegnerin verkürzte auf 3:4, doch dann hatte Ţig zum richtigen Zeitpunkt wieder eine starke Phase und holte den ersten Durchgang mit 6:3. Auch der zweite Satz hatte einen ähnlichen Verlauf, die Rumänin führte mit 2:0, um anschließend mit 2:3 in Rückstand zu geraten. Von nun an gaben die beiden Kontrahentinnen jeweils ihren Aufschlag ab, bis zum 4:4. Ţig rappelte sich auf und entschied hier die letzten beiden Spiele und die Partie für sich. Im Viertelfinale trifft sie auf die Australierin Samantha Stosur, die Nummer 23. der Weltrangliste.

Zuvor hatte sich mit Sorana Cîrstea eine weitere Rumänin zurückgemeldet. Die inzwischen auf Rang 127. zurückgefallene Bukaresterin brauchte gute zwei Stunden um die hartnäckige Deutsche Laura Siegemund in die Knie zu zwingen. Den ersten Satz hatte die French Open-Viertelfinalistin von 2009 mit 6:4 gewonnen. Im zweiten Durchgang kämpften die Wildcard-Empfängerin Cîrstea und Siegemund im Tiebreak bis zum Spielstand von 9:9 – beide verpassten mehrere Match-, bzw- Satzbälle. Letztlich setzte sich die 26-jährige Rumänin mit einem starken Aufschlag durch. Zum Auftakt hatte Cîrstea ihre alte Rivalin Jelena Jankovic klar bezwungen, im Viertelfinale trifft sie auf die Slowakin Dominika Cibulkova, gegen die sie im direkten Vergleich mit 1:3 zurückliegt.

Auch die Weltranglistensiebte Simona Halep scheint zu ihrer Topform zurückgefunden zu haben. Sie revanchierte sich in einem kurzen Achtelfinale für die schmerzhafte Dreisatzniederlage gegen die Schweizerin Timea Bacsinsky in Miami im März. Diesmal gewann die 24-Jährige aus Constanta deutlich mit 6:2 und 6:3. Sie habe für diese Partie ihre Taktik ein wenig geändert, erklärte Halep nach dem Spiel. Sie habe versucht kreativer aufzutreten und mehr auf die Vorhand ihrer Gegnerin zu spielen. Im Viertelfinale kommt es zum rein rumänischen Duell mit der Weltranglisten 34-sten Irina Begu. Diese hatte sich über sensationelle Dreisatzsiege gegen die Kanadierin Eugenie Bouchard, die Spanierin und Weltranglistenvierte Garbine Muguruza und die US-Amerikanerin Christine McHale für die Runde der letzten Acht qualifiziert. Bislang konnte Begu sich noch nie in drei direkten Begegnungen auf der Profitour gegen Halep durchsetzen.

Für alle vier rumänischen Spielerinnen bedeuten der Einzug ins Viertelfinale 245 Weltranglistenpunkte und ein Preisgeld von knap 115.000 Euro. Die Runde der letzten Acht beginnt für die rumänischen Spielerinnen voraussichtlich um 14 Uhr Ortszeit am Donnerstag, mit dem Duell Halep-Begu.

5 May 2016