Radio România Internațional

Tag: tournament

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
Athlete of the Week

Bucharest has been, for a few a few days, the international capital of chess. Nine of the worlds top 12 players are currently in Romanias capital city to participate in the SuperBet Chess Classic, the first leg of the Grant Chess Tour circuit. The chess tournament was established in 2015 and was held every year ever since, with the exception of 2020, when it was cancelled due to the pandemic. The circuit is made up of a number of classical chess tournaments, rapid chess and blitz. Chess legend Garry Kasparov is the one who inspired the setting up of the Grand Chess Tour and who contributed to the development of this circuit of tournaments which, starting 2019, also includes Romania. This explains the visit to Bucharest of the former world champion, who took part in the opening ceremony and gave the start of the first round.

Alongside the first nine players in top 12, Romanias best player, GM Bogdan Deac, aged 20, is also participating, after receiving a wild card. In the first round, Deac played against Russian Ian Nepomniașci and in the second one against the Armenian-born American Evon Aronian. Both matches ended in a draw. Deac won the match against Hungarian Richard Rapport, while the fourth round, against world no. 3, the Iranian Alireza Firouzja, also ended in a draw. Thus, Bogdan Deac collected 3 points and ranks second after the American Wesley So and on the same place with Levon Aronian and the French Vachier-Lagrave.

Bogdan Deac was born on October 8, 2001 in Ramnicu Vâlcea and currently ranks 59th in the world. He became a GM at the age of 14 years , 7 months and 27 days, setting a world record for the youngest GM. He is the player of CS Politehnica Iași. In September 2016, at the Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan, Bogdan Deac played for Romania and had a very good result — 7 points out of 10. His only defeat was in the match against the Georgian GM Levan Pantsulaia. (EE)

10 May 2022
Athlete of the Week

Bucharest has been, for a few a few days, the international capital of chess. Nine of the worlds top 12 players are currently in Romanias capital city to participate in the SuperBet Chess Classic, the first leg of the Grant Chess Tour circuit. The chess tournament was established in 2015 and was held every year ever since, with the exception of 2020, when it was cancelled due to the pandemic. The circuit is made up of a number of classical chess tournaments, rapid chess and blitz. Chess legend Garry Kasparov is the one who inspired the setting up of the Grand Chess Tour and who contributed to the development of this circuit of tournaments which, starting 2019, also includes Romania. This explains the visit to Bucharest of the former world champion, who took part in the opening ceremony and gave the start of the first round.

Alongside the first nine players in top 12, Romanias best player, GM Bogdan Deac, aged 20, is also participating, after receiving a wild card. In the first round, Deac played against Russian Ian Nepomniașci and in the second one against the Armenian-born American Evon Aronian. Both matches ended in a draw. Deac won the match against Hungarian Richard Rapport, while the fourth round, against world no. 3, the Iranian Alireza Firouzja, also ended in a draw. Thus, Bogdan Deac collected 3 points and ranks second after the American Wesley So and on the same place with Levon Aronian and the French Vachier-Lagrave.

Bogdan Deac was born on October 8, 2001 in Ramnicu Vâlcea and currently ranks 59th in the world. He became a GM at the age of 14 years , 7 months and 27 days, setting a world record for the youngest GM. He is the player of CS Politehnica Iași. In September 2016, at the Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan, Bogdan Deac played for Romania and had a very good result — 7 points out of 10. His only defeat was in the match against the Georgian GM Levan Pantsulaia. (EE)

10 May 2022
Sports weekend

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has disclosed the
name of her new coach. Halep will be working with French coach Patrick
Mouratoglou who for ten years had been training Serena Williams. Under his
supervision, Williams won ten Grand Slam tournaments. Also, Serena Williams
twice won the Australian Open and the Roland Garros tournaments, as well as the
Wimbledon and the US open tournaments, three times each. Since February this
year, Halep has been training at Mouratoglou’s Academy in Nice. We recall Halep
stopped working with Adrian Marcu and Daniel Dobre, the two Romanians who
trained Halep ahead of the Australian Open.

In news from football, on Thursday Universitatea Cluj
grabbed a 1-nil home win against Steaua București. It was the third round’s last
fixture as part of the Second League’s Group 1. Petrolul Ploiești are at the
top of the table with 51 points, followed by FC Hermannstadt, with 48. 3rd-placed are Universitatea Cluj, with 47 points, while Steaua are 4th-placed,
with 41. Concordia Chiajna and Unirea Slobozia are 5th and 6th-placed,
with 40 and 34 points, respectively. At the end of the championship, the first
two teams will benefit from a direct promotion to League One. 3rd
and 4th- placed teams will play a playoff fixture against League One’s
8th and 7th-placed teams in Group 2. Steaua Bucharest are not officially entitled to being
granted a promotion. Steaua belongs to the National Defense Ministry. According
to the Sports Law, a public law club cannot play in League One, which is a
professional competition.

This coming weekend will see matches being played,
counting towards the 4th round as part of League One’s Group 1/Group
2 stage. In Group 2 on Friday, Academica Clinceni play Chindia Târgoviște,
while Dinamo Bucharest face FC U Craiova. In Arad,
on Saturday, Rapid Bucharest take on the local side UTA. On Sunday, FC Botoșani play a home game against Sepsi Sfântu
Gheorghe. In Medias on Monday, Gaz Metan play CS Mioveni. Rapid and FC Botoșani are at the top of the table, with 29 points each,
followed by Sepsi, with 27. With a
minus of 13 points, Gaz Metan Medias are at the bottom of the table and are highly
unlikely to avoid relegation. The same goes for Academica Clinceni, with a mere
3 points on their record sheet. As of late, both teams have been repeatedly
downgraded because of unpaid debuts. Four other teams are trying hard to avoid
playing playoff fixtures. They are Dinamo, with 13 points, Chindia and CS
Mioveni, each with 19 points, and FC U Craiova, with 22.

In Group 1 on Saturday, in Pitesti, FC Argeș play Farul
Constanța. In round 4’s derby, in Craiova, in the south, on Sunday Universitatea
take on CFR Cluj. On Monday, FCSB face FC Voluntari. CFR Cluj are still at the top of the table, with 45 points. FCSB and Universitatea
Craiova follow, with 37 and 33 points, respectively.

(EN)

8 April 2022
Sports weekend

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has disclosed the
name of her new coach. Halep will be working with French coach Patrick
Mouratoglou who for ten years had been training Serena Williams. Under his
supervision, Williams won ten Grand Slam tournaments. Also, Serena Williams
twice won the Australian Open and the Roland Garros tournaments, as well as the
Wimbledon and the US open tournaments, three times each. Since February this
year, Halep has been training at Mouratoglou’s Academy in Nice. We recall Halep
stopped working with Adrian Marcu and Daniel Dobre, the two Romanians who
trained Halep ahead of the Australian Open.

In news from football, on Thursday Universitatea Cluj
grabbed a 1-nil home win against Steaua București. It was the third round’s last
fixture as part of the Second League’s Group 1. Petrolul Ploiești are at the
top of the table with 51 points, followed by FC Hermannstadt, with 48. 3rd-placed are Universitatea Cluj, with 47 points, while Steaua are 4th-placed,
with 41. Concordia Chiajna and Unirea Slobozia are 5th and 6th-placed,
with 40 and 34 points, respectively. At the end of the championship, the first
two teams will benefit from a direct promotion to League One. 3rd
and 4th- placed teams will play a playoff fixture against League One’s
8th and 7th-placed teams in Group 2. Steaua Bucharest are not officially entitled to being
granted a promotion. Steaua belongs to the National Defense Ministry. According
to the Sports Law, a public law club cannot play in League One, which is a
professional competition.

This coming weekend will see matches being played,
counting towards the 4th round as part of League One’s Group 1/Group
2 stage. In Group 2 on Friday, Academica Clinceni play Chindia Târgoviște,
while Dinamo Bucharest face FC U Craiova. In Arad,
on Saturday, Rapid Bucharest take on the local side UTA. On Sunday, FC Botoșani play a home game against Sepsi Sfântu
Gheorghe. In Medias on Monday, Gaz Metan play CS Mioveni. Rapid and FC Botoșani are at the top of the table, with 29 points each,
followed by Sepsi, with 27. With a
minus of 13 points, Gaz Metan Medias are at the bottom of the table and are highly
unlikely to avoid relegation. The same goes for Academica Clinceni, with a mere
3 points on their record sheet. As of late, both teams have been repeatedly
downgraded because of unpaid debuts. Four other teams are trying hard to avoid
playing playoff fixtures. They are Dinamo, with 13 points, Chindia and CS
Mioveni, each with 19 points, and FC U Craiova, with 22.

In Group 1 on Saturday, in Pitesti, FC Argeș play Farul
Constanța. In round 4’s derby, in Craiova, in the south, on Sunday Universitatea
take on CFR Cluj. On Monday, FCSB face FC Voluntari. CFR Cluj are still at the top of the table, with 45 points. FCSB and Universitatea
Craiova follow, with 37 and 33 points, respectively.

(EN)

8 April 2022
Sports flash

Romanian
tennis player Simona Halep has advanced to the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 Indian
Wells tournament, an event with 8, 500, 000 USD in prize money. In the quarterfinals,
Halep outclassed Croatia’s Petra Martic after 53 minutes of play, 6-1, 6-1. It
was Simona Halep’s best match in the Californian tournament. Halep never lost her serve, and saved the three break-balls Martic created
for herself. Also, Halep won no less than seven games to zero against her Croatian
opponent. 24th-seeded Halep has thus secured a cheque worth almost
344 thousand USD and 390 WTA points. In the semifinals, Halep goes against the
tournament’s 3rd-seeded player, Poland’s Iga Świątek.

In the first semifinal
fixture of the Erste Liga regional ice hockey competition, ACSH Gheorghieni secured
a 1-nil away win against Ferencváros Budapest. The return leg is also scheduled
in Budapest. The semifinals are played according to the-best-in-seven- games system.
In the other semifinal, defending champions Sport Club Miercurea-Ciuc face DEAC
Debrecen. The first two matches are played on Friday and Saturday, on Sport
Club Miercurea Ciuc’s court.

CSM
CSU Oradea men’s basketball team have wasted the opportunity to advance to the semi-finals
of the FIBA Europe Cup. In the quarterfinals’ second leg, CSM CSU Oradea sustained
a 60-71 home defeat by Danish opponents Bakken Bears. In the first leg, CSM CSU
Oradea had also lost, 82-84. In 2021, CSM CSU Oradea have qualified for the
competition’s Final Four tournament, coming in 3rd.

In women’s
handball, in two fixtures counting towards the National League’s 18th
round, the first two teams had no problem securing their win. Top-of-the-table
team Rapid Bucharest trounced Dunarea Braila, 33-22, and secured 45 points. Defending
champions CSM Bucharest, the runner-up team according to the as-it-stands table,
succeeded a 30-20 away win against SCM Deva. CSM have thus 44 points on their
record sheet. With 36 points,
Magura Cisnadie are 3rd-placed. Magura Cisnadie secured a 24-23 away win against
SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea this past Wednesday.

(EN)

17 March 2022
Sports flash

Romanian
tennis player Simona Halep has advanced to the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 Indian
Wells tournament, an event with 8, 500, 000 USD in prize money. In the quarterfinals,
Halep outclassed Croatia’s Petra Martic after 53 minutes of play, 6-1, 6-1. It
was Simona Halep’s best match in the Californian tournament. Halep never lost her serve, and saved the three break-balls Martic created
for herself. Also, Halep won no less than seven games to zero against her Croatian
opponent. 24th-seeded Halep has thus secured a cheque worth almost
344 thousand USD and 390 WTA points. In the semifinals, Halep goes against the
tournament’s 3rd-seeded player, Poland’s Iga Świątek.

In the first semifinal
fixture of the Erste Liga regional ice hockey competition, ACSH Gheorghieni secured
a 1-nil away win against Ferencváros Budapest. The return leg is also scheduled
in Budapest. The semifinals are played according to the-best-in-seven- games system.
In the other semifinal, defending champions Sport Club Miercurea-Ciuc face DEAC
Debrecen. The first two matches are played on Friday and Saturday, on Sport
Club Miercurea Ciuc’s court.

CSM
CSU Oradea men’s basketball team have wasted the opportunity to advance to the semi-finals
of the FIBA Europe Cup. In the quarterfinals’ second leg, CSM CSU Oradea sustained
a 60-71 home defeat by Danish opponents Bakken Bears. In the first leg, CSM CSU
Oradea had also lost, 82-84. In 2021, CSM CSU Oradea have qualified for the
competition’s Final Four tournament, coming in 3rd.

In women’s
handball, in two fixtures counting towards the National League’s 18th
round, the first two teams had no problem securing their win. Top-of-the-table
team Rapid Bucharest trounced Dunarea Braila, 33-22, and secured 45 points. Defending
champions CSM Bucharest, the runner-up team according to the as-it-stands table,
succeeded a 30-20 away win against SCM Deva. CSM have thus 44 points on their
record sheet. With 36 points,
Magura Cisnadie are 3rd-placed. Magura Cisnadie secured a 24-23 away win against
SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea this past Wednesday.

(EN)

17 March 2022
Sports flash

Romanian men’s basketball team CSM CSU Oradea Wednesday
night in Aaarhus sustained an 82-84 away defeat by Danish opponents Bakken Bears.
The fixture counted towards the first leg of the FIBA
Europe Cup’s quarterfinals. The return leg will be hosted by the Antonio Alexe sports hall in Oradea, on March 16. Initially,
CSM CSU Oradea’s quarterfinal opponents was Turkish team Bahceşehir Koleji, but
the schedule was changed because Russian team Avdotor Saratov was excluded from
the competition,

In news from men’s handball, Dinamo Bucharest sustained
a 29-34 away defeat by Polish opponents Lomza Vive Kielce Wednesday night. It was Dinamo Bucharest’s last match counting towards the Champions League’s
Group B. With 8 points on its record sheet and on a par with bottom-of-the table
team Motor Zaporoje, Dinamo Bucharest thus ended its Champions League’s trail being
7th-placed, the last-but-one position in Group B. The first two
teams in descending order secure their straight qualification to the
quarterfinals. The 3rd, the 4th and the 5th-placed teams will have
to compete in playoff fixtures to advance to the League’s quarterfinals.

In the second round of the WTA 1000 Indian Wells
tournament, an event with 8,500,000 USD in prize money all told, the Romanian
tennis players, 24th-seeded Simona Halep and 26th-seeded Sorana
Cirstea take on Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, and
Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, respectively.

Dinamo Bucharest football club has reached an agreement
with Czech head-coach Dušan Uhrin junior. Uhrin will replace the Romanian Flavius
Stoican. The Czech head-coach arrived in Bucharest on Wednesday and has already
run an ice-breaking session for his trainees. We recall Dušan
Uhrin junior had been at the helm of Dinamo before, once, during the 2019-2020
competition season and for a second time around, in 2021. Among the teams Dušan
Uhrin junior had been at the helm of, before, there are Bohemians Prague, Mlada
Boleslav, AEL Limassol, Dinamo Tbilisi, Viktoria Plzen, Dinamo Minsk, Slavia
Prague, Politehnica Timişoara, CFR Cluj and Gaz Metan Mediaş. With Flavius
Stoican at the helm, Dinamo ended the regular season on the 14th-position
and will enter Group 2 with 9 points on its record sheet. In its debut match
with Uhrin at the helm, Dinamo travels to Mioveni in the south, for an away
fixture against Rapid Bucharest.

(EN)

10 March 2022
Sports flash

Romanian men’s basketball team CSM CSU Oradea Wednesday
night in Aaarhus sustained an 82-84 away defeat by Danish opponents Bakken Bears.
The fixture counted towards the first leg of the FIBA
Europe Cup’s quarterfinals. The return leg will be hosted by the Antonio Alexe sports hall in Oradea, on March 16. Initially,
CSM CSU Oradea’s quarterfinal opponents was Turkish team Bahceşehir Koleji, but
the schedule was changed because Russian team Avdotor Saratov was excluded from
the competition,

In news from men’s handball, Dinamo Bucharest sustained
a 29-34 away defeat by Polish opponents Lomza Vive Kielce Wednesday night. It was Dinamo Bucharest’s last match counting towards the Champions League’s
Group B. With 8 points on its record sheet and on a par with bottom-of-the table
team Motor Zaporoje, Dinamo Bucharest thus ended its Champions League’s trail being
7th-placed, the last-but-one position in Group B. The first two
teams in descending order secure their straight qualification to the
quarterfinals. The 3rd, the 4th and the 5th-placed teams will have
to compete in playoff fixtures to advance to the League’s quarterfinals.

In the second round of the WTA 1000 Indian Wells
tournament, an event with 8,500,000 USD in prize money all told, the Romanian
tennis players, 24th-seeded Simona Halep and 26th-seeded Sorana
Cirstea take on Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, and
Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, respectively.

Dinamo Bucharest football club has reached an agreement
with Czech head-coach Dušan Uhrin junior. Uhrin will replace the Romanian Flavius
Stoican. The Czech head-coach arrived in Bucharest on Wednesday and has already
run an ice-breaking session for his trainees. We recall Dušan
Uhrin junior had been at the helm of Dinamo before, once, during the 2019-2020
competition season and for a second time around, in 2021. Among the teams Dušan
Uhrin junior had been at the helm of, before, there are Bohemians Prague, Mlada
Boleslav, AEL Limassol, Dinamo Tbilisi, Viktoria Plzen, Dinamo Minsk, Slavia
Prague, Politehnica Timişoara, CFR Cluj and Gaz Metan Mediaş. With Flavius
Stoican at the helm, Dinamo ended the regular season on the 14th-position
and will enter Group 2 with 9 points on its record sheet. In its debut match
with Uhrin at the helm, Dinamo travels to Mioveni in the south, for an away
fixture against Rapid Bucharest.

(EN)

10 March 2022
Athlete of the week

The WTA women’s circuit schedule last week included a tennis tournament in
Lyon, an event with 193 thousand Euros up for grabs. The Romanian tennis player
Sorana Cîrstea was 2nd-seeded and succeeded
to honor her status, reaching as far as the tournament’s semifinal. Sorana’s
feat earned her a better position according to the WTA rankings. Reason enough
for Radio Romania International to designate Sorana
Cirstea the Athlete of the week.

Had she succeeded to play the final in Lyon, according
to the world rankings Sorana Cirstea would have been able to outclass Simona
Halep, who for quite a few years now has been Romania’s best-placed tennis
player. For Sorana Cirstea, the main draw in Lyon looked accessible. In the
first three matches Sorana did not lose a single set. Her trail in Lyon
included wins against Georgia’s Mariam Bolkvadze, Stefanie Vögele of Switzerland
and Hungary’s Anna Bondar. However, in the semifinal, Sorana Cirstea faced 21-year-old
Ukrainian challenger Dayana Yastremska. We recall that in 2019 Yastremska was a
whisker away from earning a place among the world’s top 20 women tennis players.
In the first round, Yastremska succeeded a hard-fought win against another
Romanian, Ana Bogdan, since her opponent wasted the opportunity to secure her
win with a match ball. It took the Ukrainian three sets to overpower Sorana
Cirstea. Yastremska won the match, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4. Sorana got 8,145 Euros and 110
WTA points, climbing four notches up according to the WTA rankings, from the 31st
to the 27th-place. Simona Halep is 26th-placed according to the same
rankings.

Sorana Cîrstea was born in the southern Romanian town of Targoviste on
April 7th, 1990. She turned pro in 2006. The same year she came in
348th according to the WTA rankings. So far Sorana Cirstea has won a
WTA tournament, in Taskent, in 2008, and another one in Istanbul, in 2021. Sorana
Cirstea’s best WTA ranking position occurred in August 2013, when she was 21st-placed.
A rather difficult period followed for the Romanian, but in recent years Sorana
braced up and succeeded to regain the excellent shape she used to be in. According
to the WTA website, Sorana’s net worth as a tennis player amounts to almost
seven million dollars.

(EN)

8 March 2022
Athlete of the week

The WTA women’s circuit schedule last week included a tennis tournament in
Lyon, an event with 193 thousand Euros up for grabs. The Romanian tennis player
Sorana Cîrstea was 2nd-seeded and succeeded
to honor her status, reaching as far as the tournament’s semifinal. Sorana’s
feat earned her a better position according to the WTA rankings. Reason enough
for Radio Romania International to designate Sorana
Cirstea the Athlete of the week.

Had she succeeded to play the final in Lyon, according
to the world rankings Sorana Cirstea would have been able to outclass Simona
Halep, who for quite a few years now has been Romania’s best-placed tennis
player. For Sorana Cirstea, the main draw in Lyon looked accessible. In the
first three matches Sorana did not lose a single set. Her trail in Lyon
included wins against Georgia’s Mariam Bolkvadze, Stefanie Vögele of Switzerland
and Hungary’s Anna Bondar. However, in the semifinal, Sorana Cirstea faced 21-year-old
Ukrainian challenger Dayana Yastremska. We recall that in 2019 Yastremska was a
whisker away from earning a place among the world’s top 20 women tennis players.
In the first round, Yastremska succeeded a hard-fought win against another
Romanian, Ana Bogdan, since her opponent wasted the opportunity to secure her
win with a match ball. It took the Ukrainian three sets to overpower Sorana
Cirstea. Yastremska won the match, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4. Sorana got 8,145 Euros and 110
WTA points, climbing four notches up according to the WTA rankings, from the 31st
to the 27th-place. Simona Halep is 26th-placed according to the same
rankings.

Sorana Cîrstea was born in the southern Romanian town of Targoviste on
April 7th, 1990. She turned pro in 2006. The same year she came in
348th according to the WTA rankings. So far Sorana Cirstea has won a
WTA tournament, in Taskent, in 2008, and another one in Istanbul, in 2021. Sorana
Cirstea’s best WTA ranking position occurred in August 2013, when she was 21st-placed.
A rather difficult period followed for the Romanian, but in recent years Sorana
braced up and succeeded to regain the excellent shape she used to be in. According
to the WTA website, Sorana’s net worth as a tennis player amounts to almost
seven million dollars.

(EN)

8 March 2022
Athlete of the week

Last week’s attention-grabbing event was the Europa Top-16
table tennis tournament hosted by the city of Montreux in Switzerland. Each year
the event brings together Europe’s top-flight table tennis players. In 2022,
representing Romania in the women’s version of the tournament were Bernadette
Szőcs and Elizabeta Samara. Szőcs had the best run, coming in 3rd according
to the final rankings. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to
designate Bernadette Szőcs the Athlete of the week.

In Montreux, in the round of 16, Bernadette Szőcs outclassed Portugal’s Jieni
Shao, 4-2. In the quarterfinals, Bernie
won the match against Dutch opponent Britt Eerland, also 4-2. However, in the semi-finals,
Bernadette Szőcs lost the game against German challenger Ying Han, nil-4. In
the quarterfinals, Han also defeated Elizabeta Samara, 4-3. Germany’s Ying Han
eventually won the tournament, grabbing a 4-nil win against Russian challenger Polina
Mikhaylova, 4-nil.

Bernadette Szőcs was born on March 5th, 1995 la Târgu Mureş (central Transylvania).
She took up sports at the age of 8. Her results in cadets and juniors’ competitions
were quick to appear. Bernadette won several medals in European and world competitions
and saw herself in the upper part of the echelon according to world rankings rather
quickly. In 2010, when the official financial support in Romania was scarce, Bernadette
Szőcs intended to relocate to Norway and compete for that Scandinavian country
but eventually she did not succeed to carry her project through. In 2016, at
the European championship in Budapest, Bernie came in 3rd in the
mixed doubles event, jointly with Ovidiu Ionescu. In 2017, at the European
championship in Luxembourg, Bernadette Szőcs won her
first European title, with Romania’s national team. In 2019, in Nantes, Bernadette
also won the European title in the nations’ competition. Meanwhile, in Montreux,
in 2018, Bernie won the Europa Top-16 tournament. Bernadette Szőcs is 23rd-placed
according to the as-it-stands world classification. The other Romanian, Elizabeta
Samara, is 31st- placed according to the same rankings.

(EN)

1 March 2022
Athlete of the week

Last week’s attention-grabbing event was the Europa Top-16
table tennis tournament hosted by the city of Montreux in Switzerland. Each year
the event brings together Europe’s top-flight table tennis players. In 2022,
representing Romania in the women’s version of the tournament were Bernadette
Szőcs and Elizabeta Samara. Szőcs had the best run, coming in 3rd according
to the final rankings. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to
designate Bernadette Szőcs the Athlete of the week.

In Montreux, in the round of 16, Bernadette Szőcs outclassed Portugal’s Jieni
Shao, 4-2. In the quarterfinals, Bernie
won the match against Dutch opponent Britt Eerland, also 4-2. However, in the semi-finals,
Bernadette Szőcs lost the game against German challenger Ying Han, nil-4. In
the quarterfinals, Han also defeated Elizabeta Samara, 4-3. Germany’s Ying Han
eventually won the tournament, grabbing a 4-nil win against Russian challenger Polina
Mikhaylova, 4-nil.

Bernadette Szőcs was born on March 5th, 1995 la Târgu Mureş (central Transylvania).
She took up sports at the age of 8. Her results in cadets and juniors’ competitions
were quick to appear. Bernadette won several medals in European and world competitions
and saw herself in the upper part of the echelon according to world rankings rather
quickly. In 2010, when the official financial support in Romania was scarce, Bernadette
Szőcs intended to relocate to Norway and compete for that Scandinavian country
but eventually she did not succeed to carry her project through. In 2016, at
the European championship in Budapest, Bernie came in 3rd in the
mixed doubles event, jointly with Ovidiu Ionescu. In 2017, at the European
championship in Luxembourg, Bernadette Szőcs won her
first European title, with Romania’s national team. In 2019, in Nantes, Bernadette
also won the European title in the nations’ competition. Meanwhile, in Montreux,
in 2018, Bernie won the Europa Top-16 tournament. Bernadette Szőcs is 23rd-placed
according to the as-it-stands world classification. The other Romanian, Elizabeta
Samara, is 31st- placed according to the same rankings.

(EN)

1 March 2022
February 10, 2022 UPDATE

MILITARY President Klaus Iohannis and NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg
will visit the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base 57, the Romanian Presidency
announced. The 2 officials will also discuss with the troops deployed to the
military base and subsequently will have a joint press conference. Military
equipment for the US Task Force (TF) Cougar has already reached Romania. TF
Cougar will primarily consist of a
Stryker squadron relocated from Germany to Romania to protect the region in the
context of the Russia-Ukraine standoff. President Iohannis said
after a visit to the Headquarters Multinational Brigade South-East on Thursday
that the US and France deciding to strengthen their military presence in Romania
is a ‘firm sign of the coherence and consistency of Euro-Atlantic solidarity’ and
invited other Allied countries as well to consider contributing troops to the
multinational structures in Romania.

DRILLS Russia and Belarus Thursday began 10 days of military exercises near
the border with Ukraine and Poland. According to the Russian defence ministry, the drills are aimed at the tasks of repelling
external aggression while conducting a defensive operation, countering
terrorism and protecting common interests.
NATO is concerned that the Russian military build-up in Belarus is part of a
plan to attack Ukraine. Moscow denies plans to invade Ukraine, and says it will
pull out its troops from Belarus as soon as the drills are over. According to Radio
Romania’s correspondent in Moscow, Russia relocated troops and equipment from
as far as Siberia and the Far East, 10,000 km away, for the exercise in
Belarus.

GOVERNMENT The governments of Romania and the Republic of Moldova will hold their
first joint meeting in Chişinău on Friday, with the Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucă scheduled
to also have talks with president Maia Sandu and the Moldovan parliament
speaker Igor Grosu. A joint action and solidarity plan for the energy sector
will be put together within 6 months of signing a joint memorandum on energy
security, which is scheduled for Friday, the Romanian government spokesman Dan
Cărbunaru said. He added that a bill was passed on the mutual recognition of
diplomas. Over 12,000 students and 2,000 pupils from Moldova are currently
attending Romanian schools. The 2 governments are also to sign an agreement on
Friday concerning the building, maintenance, repair and use of a cross-border
bridge in Ungheni. Another agreement between the 2 states will concern roaming
and international call tariffs.

ECONOMY Romania’s economy went up by 6.3% in 2021, thanks to a
sound domestic demand, but the pace will slow down to 4.2% this year, to reach
4.5% in 2023, according to the winter economic forecast released by the
European Commission on Thursday. Last autumn the EC estimated Romania’s GDP
would grow by 7% in 2021, with rates of 5.1% and 5.2% forecast for 2022 and
2023 respectively. The most recent data concerning confidence in the economy
indicate positive, although moderated economic growth prospects, especially in services,
retail, constructions and industry. Private consumption is also expected to
recover in the second half of the year, when restrictions will be eased out and
inflation will slow down. Meanwhile, the EC substantially adjusted its 2022
inflation forecast for Romania, from 4% estimated in November to 5.3% this
winter, after a 4.1% inflation rate in 2021.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu Thursday managed a
spectacular win against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-0, which
secured her a place in the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 tournament in Sankt
Petersburg, Russia. Another Romanian, Jaqueline Cristian, lost to Aleksandra
Sasnovich of Belarus, 6-2, 6-3, and left the competition. (A.M.P.)

10 February 2022