Radio România Internațional

Tag: win

Sports flash

Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea on Wednesday advanced to the
quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Lyon, an event with 193 thousand Euros
up for grabs. In the tournament’s round of 16, Cirstea defeated Switzerland’s Stefanie Vögele, 6-3, 7-5. On her way to the semi-finals, on Friday Cirstea will face Hungary’s Anna
Bondar. We recall Cirstea faced Bondar only once, in Budapest, in 2019, in the
first round, when the Romanian defeated her opponent, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. According
to the WTA rankings made public earlier this week, Cirstea is 31st-placed.
Should Sorana reach the final in Lyon, she is sure to outclass Simona Halep,
who is 21st-placed according to the same rankings. Sorana Cirstea
could thus become the best-placed Romanian tennis player according to the WTA
rankings.

In news from men’s tennis, this coming Friday and
Saturday, in Spain’s Marbella, Romania’s team goes against Spain, in a Davis
Cup playoff match counting towards the competition’s final tournament. For the
match against Spain, to be played on a clay court, Romania-s non-playing
captain, Gabriel Trifu, has summoned a team made of Marius Copil, Nicolae
Frunză, Ştefan Paloşi, Gabi Adrian Boitan and Horia Tecău.

In a fixture counting towards the European Championship’s
preliminaries, Romania’s national women’s handball team in Mioveni this past Wednesday
sustained a 28-35 defeat by Denmark, the bronze medalist team at the World championships
in December 2021. After a one-year gap, or
thereabouts, Romania’s best handball player of the moment, Cristina Neagu, was
on the pitch but was unable to make the difference to the national team’s
advantage. According to the second preliminary group rankings, Denmark is at
the top of the table, with 6 points, followed by Romania, with 3. Austria is 3rd-placed,
with 1 point, while bottom-of-the-table Feroe Islands team has zero points on
its record sheet. The first two teams secure their ticket to the final tournament.
Romania’s return leg against Denmark is scheduled in Odense this coming Saturday.

Matches counting towards the last-but-one round, the 29th, of
the regular football season have been played this week. On Tuesday, in Ploiesti,
in the south, Chindia Târgoviște defeated
UTA Arad, 1-nil. Also on Tuesday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe grabbed a 3-1 away win
against Dinamo Bucharest, while F C U Craiova secured a 3-2 home win against Rapid
Bucharest.

On Wednesday in Bucharest, Academica Clinceni defeated
Gaz Metan Mediaș, 2-nil, while in Mioveni, also in the south, Universitatea Craiova
secured a 3-nil away win against CS Mioveni. Also on
Wednesday, CFR Cluj grabbed a 1-nil away win against FC Voluntari. On Thursday,
Farul Constanta take on FC Botosani, while FC Arges face FCSB.

CFR Cluj is at the top of the as-it-stands table, with 73 points. FCSB is
the runner-up team, with 59.

(EN)

—–

3 March 2022
Sports Roundup

Romanian table tennis player Bernadette Szőcs came
in 3rd at the Europa Top-16 tournament in Montreux, Switzerland. In
the semifinals, Szocs was defeated by German challenger Ying Han, 4-nil. A 2018
champion, also in Montreux, Bernadette Szőcs was for the 8th time
taking part in the competition that brings together Europe’ s top-flight women table
tennis players. We recall that in Thessalonica in 2021, Szocs was 3rd-placed
and 2nd-placed, in 2019.

Romania’ s national rugby squad has dramatically
decreased its chances to secure a straight qualification to the World Cup 2023.
This past Sunday, the Romanian national team sustained a 28-31 defeat by Spain. The latter team scored no less than 5 tries. Romania had a poor
run on the pitch, with flaws galore, in the defensive game but also in the handling
of the ball, mostly in the first half. Romania scored three tries, of which two
by Hinckley Vaovasa and one by Marius Simionescu. Romania’s
Ionel Melinte successfully converted the team’s first try, while Daniel Plai converted
the text two. Qualifying straight to the 2023 edition of the World Cup are the
first two teams of the 2021 and 2022 rankings all told. The third-placed team
plays the repechage. If they still want to keep their hopes alive for a straight
qualification, on March the 12 in Bucharest the Romanians must defeat the competition’s
best team, Georgia.

For the seventh time Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe has won
Romanian Cup in women’s basketball. In this past Sunday’s final
against Municipal Satu Mare, Sepsi
won, 59-53. Holders Sepsi made the difference in the last fifteen minutes
of play. When the score board displayed a 52-53 advantage for Satu Mare, Sepsi scored
seven points in a row in the last 95 seconds of play.

Matches counting towards the 28th round of
the regular football season were played at the weekend. On Friday in Arad, UTA
defeated Academica Clinceni, 2-nil, while on home turf, Universitatea Craiova
defeated Chindia Târgoviște, 1-nil. In Medias on Saturday, Gaz
Metan sustained a 3 defeat by FC U Craiova. In Sfântu Gheorghe, CFR Cluj secured a 2-nil win against Sepsi. In the 28th
round’s derby that pitted Rapid Bucharest against Dinamo the score was 1-all. On
Sunday, the game pitting FC Arges against FC Voluntari ended in a blank draw. FC
Botosani were also held by CS Mioveni to a blank draw. The 28th round’s surprise was provided by Farul
Constanta, the team that succeeded a 2-nil away win against FCSB. Two rounds ahead of the closing of the regular season, CFR Cluj are at
the top of the table, with 70 points, FCSB are 2nd-placed with 59
points.

(EN)

28 February 2022
Sports Roundup

Romanian table tennis player Bernadette Szőcs came
in 3rd at the Europa Top-16 tournament in Montreux, Switzerland. In
the semifinals, Szocs was defeated by German challenger Ying Han, 4-nil. A 2018
champion, also in Montreux, Bernadette Szőcs was for the 8th time
taking part in the competition that brings together Europe’ s top-flight women table
tennis players. We recall that in Thessalonica in 2021, Szocs was 3rd-placed
and 2nd-placed, in 2019.

Romania’ s national rugby squad has dramatically
decreased its chances to secure a straight qualification to the World Cup 2023.
This past Sunday, the Romanian national team sustained a 28-31 defeat by Spain. The latter team scored no less than 5 tries. Romania had a poor
run on the pitch, with flaws galore, in the defensive game but also in the handling
of the ball, mostly in the first half. Romania scored three tries, of which two
by Hinckley Vaovasa and one by Marius Simionescu. Romania’s
Ionel Melinte successfully converted the team’s first try, while Daniel Plai converted
the text two. Qualifying straight to the 2023 edition of the World Cup are the
first two teams of the 2021 and 2022 rankings all told. The third-placed team
plays the repechage. If they still want to keep their hopes alive for a straight
qualification, on March the 12 in Bucharest the Romanians must defeat the competition’s
best team, Georgia.

For the seventh time Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe has won
Romanian Cup in women’s basketball. In this past Sunday’s final
against Municipal Satu Mare, Sepsi
won, 59-53. Holders Sepsi made the difference in the last fifteen minutes
of play. When the score board displayed a 52-53 advantage for Satu Mare, Sepsi scored
seven points in a row in the last 95 seconds of play.

Matches counting towards the 28th round of
the regular football season were played at the weekend. On Friday in Arad, UTA
defeated Academica Clinceni, 2-nil, while on home turf, Universitatea Craiova
defeated Chindia Târgoviște, 1-nil. In Medias on Saturday, Gaz
Metan sustained a 3 defeat by FC U Craiova. In Sfântu Gheorghe, CFR Cluj secured a 2-nil win against Sepsi. In the 28th
round’s derby that pitted Rapid Bucharest against Dinamo the score was 1-all. On
Sunday, the game pitting FC Arges against FC Voluntari ended in a blank draw. FC
Botosani were also held by CS Mioveni to a blank draw. The 28th round’s surprise was provided by Farul
Constanta, the team that succeeded a 2-nil away win against FCSB. Two rounds ahead of the closing of the regular season, CFR Cluj are at
the top of the table, with 70 points, FCSB are 2nd-placed with 59
points.

(EN)

28 February 2022
Sports flash

CSM Volei Alba Blaj have advanced to the semifinals of the CEV Cup in womens volleyball. CSM grabbed a 3-2 away win against French opponents Volero Le Cannet, The confrontation counted towards the quarterfinals second leg. In the first leg, CSM Volei Alba Blaj also won, 3-nil. In the semifinals, Alba Blaj face Turkish challengers Eczacibaşi Dynavit Istanbul, at home, on February 22, and away, on March 1st. CSM Volei Alba Blaj played the finals of all three European inter-club competitions, the Champions League, in 2018, the CEV Cup, in 2019 and the Challenge Cup in 2021. CSM Volei Alba Blaj lost all three final confrontations.

In a fixture counting towards European Leagues group D, Romanian womens handball team SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea this past Wednesday sustained a 20-31 away defeat by Danish side Viborg. Both teams had already secured their qualification to the European Leagues quarterfinals. Viborg are at the top of the table in Group D, with 9 points, while SCM Ramnicu Valcea are the runner-up team with 7 points. 3rd and 4th placed are French team Chambray Touraine and the Hungarian team Vác, respectively, both with 2 points on their record sheet. This coming weekend will see the groups last two matches being played, as on Saturday, Viborg take on Chambray Touraine, while on Sunday, Vác face SCM Ramnicu Valcea.

Also in news from womens handball, in a regular National League game, holders CSM Bucharest narrowly avoided a home defeat by Gloria Bistrița-Năsăud, also on Wednesday. At halftime the scoreboard displayed a 11-9 advantage for Gloria. In the second half, CSM Bucharest were better on the court, but were unable to secure the advantage. The match ended 23-all as in the last minute of play CSMs Cristina Neagu provided the equalizer. With 10 goals scored, Neagu was again CSMs best handballer. With 39 points in 14 games, Rapid Bucharest are at the top of the table. CSM are 2nd placed, with 35 points in 15 fixtures.

In a game counting towards the 14th round of the National mens Basketball League, on Wednesday Dinamo Bucharest defeated Steaua, 88-78, in the all-time derby hosted by Dinamo Sports hall. With 21 points and 6 assists, Swedish player Carl Viktor Gaddefors was the most efficient basketball player. Steaua are 5th-placed according to the Leagues rankings, while Dinamo are 14th-placed. U BT Cluj-Napoca are at the top of the table.

(EN)

—–

17 February 2022
Sports flash

CSM Volei Alba Blaj have advanced to the semifinals of the CEV Cup in womens volleyball. CSM grabbed a 3-2 away win against French opponents Volero Le Cannet, The confrontation counted towards the quarterfinals second leg. In the first leg, CSM Volei Alba Blaj also won, 3-nil. In the semifinals, Alba Blaj face Turkish challengers Eczacibaşi Dynavit Istanbul, at home, on February 22, and away, on March 1st. CSM Volei Alba Blaj played the finals of all three European inter-club competitions, the Champions League, in 2018, the CEV Cup, in 2019 and the Challenge Cup in 2021. CSM Volei Alba Blaj lost all three final confrontations.

In a fixture counting towards European Leagues group D, Romanian womens handball team SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea this past Wednesday sustained a 20-31 away defeat by Danish side Viborg. Both teams had already secured their qualification to the European Leagues quarterfinals. Viborg are at the top of the table in Group D, with 9 points, while SCM Ramnicu Valcea are the runner-up team with 7 points. 3rd and 4th placed are French team Chambray Touraine and the Hungarian team Vác, respectively, both with 2 points on their record sheet. This coming weekend will see the groups last two matches being played, as on Saturday, Viborg take on Chambray Touraine, while on Sunday, Vác face SCM Ramnicu Valcea.

Also in news from womens handball, in a regular National League game, holders CSM Bucharest narrowly avoided a home defeat by Gloria Bistrița-Năsăud, also on Wednesday. At halftime the scoreboard displayed a 11-9 advantage for Gloria. In the second half, CSM Bucharest were better on the court, but were unable to secure the advantage. The match ended 23-all as in the last minute of play CSMs Cristina Neagu provided the equalizer. With 10 goals scored, Neagu was again CSMs best handballer. With 39 points in 14 games, Rapid Bucharest are at the top of the table. CSM are 2nd placed, with 35 points in 15 fixtures.

In a game counting towards the 14th round of the National mens Basketball League, on Wednesday Dinamo Bucharest defeated Steaua, 88-78, in the all-time derby hosted by Dinamo Sports hall. With 21 points and 6 assists, Swedish player Carl Viktor Gaddefors was the most efficient basketball player. Steaua are 5th-placed according to the Leagues rankings, while Dinamo are 14th-placed. U BT Cluj-Napoca are at the top of the table.

(EN)

—–

17 February 2022
Athlete of the week

Romanian women’s
handball team, title holders CSM Bucharest grabbed a 28-20 away win, 15-9 at
half time, against Montenegrin challengers Buducnost Podgorica. The match
counted towards Champions League’s Group A. CSM had the upper hand all throughout
the match, ending the game 8 points clear of their opponents. However, on 43
minutes, Buducnost were only two goals down from CSM Bucharest, when the scoreboard
displayed a feeble 18-16 advantage for the Romanian team. Yet CSM Bucharest had
a stunning comeback and eventually secured a laid-back advantage at the end of
the game. Cristina Neagu was yet again CSM Bucharest’s top scorer, with 7 goals
on her record sheet. Also scoring for CSM Bucharest were Yvette Broch, 5, Elizabeth
Omoregie, 3, Emilie Hegh Arntzen, 3, Carmen Martin Berenguer, 2, Malin Larsen
Aune, 2, Alexandra Dindiligan, 2. Samara Da Silva Vieira, Siraba Dembele
Pavlovic, Angela Ştefania Stoica and Ema Ramusovic scored one goal each. Team
Esbjerg are at the top of the table, with 15 points. Of Group A’s ten teams, CSM
Bucharest are 4th-placed, with 10 points on its record sheet.

For
her exceptional performance in CSM’s match against Buducnost, Radio Romania International
has designated Cristina Neagu the Athlete of the week.

In August 2022, Cristina
Neagu will be 34. She plays as a left-back and her record is impressive. With
Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea, in 2010 Cristina Neagu played a Champions League final.
With Buducnost Podgorica, Neagu became European champion in 2015.

In
2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, the International Handball Federation designated Cristina
Neagu the world’s best handballer. Neagu thus became the world’s first woman
handball player ever to have won the trophy four times. Cristina Neagu has been
the national team’s captain since 2016. With the national squad, Cristina Neagu
won the bronze medal at the European Championship jointly held in Denmark and
Norway in 2010, and another bronze medal at the World Championship in Denmark,
in 2015. Cristina Neagu made public her retirement from the national squad.
However, she changed her mind afterwards.

(EN)

18 January 2022
Athlete of the week

Romanian women’s
handball team, title holders CSM Bucharest grabbed a 28-20 away win, 15-9 at
half time, against Montenegrin challengers Buducnost Podgorica. The match
counted towards Champions League’s Group A. CSM had the upper hand all throughout
the match, ending the game 8 points clear of their opponents. However, on 43
minutes, Buducnost were only two goals down from CSM Bucharest, when the scoreboard
displayed a feeble 18-16 advantage for the Romanian team. Yet CSM Bucharest had
a stunning comeback and eventually secured a laid-back advantage at the end of
the game. Cristina Neagu was yet again CSM Bucharest’s top scorer, with 7 goals
on her record sheet. Also scoring for CSM Bucharest were Yvette Broch, 5, Elizabeth
Omoregie, 3, Emilie Hegh Arntzen, 3, Carmen Martin Berenguer, 2, Malin Larsen
Aune, 2, Alexandra Dindiligan, 2. Samara Da Silva Vieira, Siraba Dembele
Pavlovic, Angela Ştefania Stoica and Ema Ramusovic scored one goal each. Team
Esbjerg are at the top of the table, with 15 points. Of Group A’s ten teams, CSM
Bucharest are 4th-placed, with 10 points on its record sheet.

For
her exceptional performance in CSM’s match against Buducnost, Radio Romania International
has designated Cristina Neagu the Athlete of the week.

In August 2022, Cristina
Neagu will be 34. She plays as a left-back and her record is impressive. With
Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea, in 2010 Cristina Neagu played a Champions League final.
With Buducnost Podgorica, Neagu became European champion in 2015.

In
2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, the International Handball Federation designated Cristina
Neagu the world’s best handballer. Neagu thus became the world’s first woman
handball player ever to have won the trophy four times. Cristina Neagu has been
the national team’s captain since 2016. With the national squad, Cristina Neagu
won the bronze medal at the European Championship jointly held in Denmark and
Norway in 2010, and another bronze medal at the World Championship in Denmark,
in 2015. Cristina Neagu made public her retirement from the national squad.
However, she changed her mind afterwards.

(EN)

18 January 2022
Sports roundup

Romania’s national rugby squad on Saturday trounced Tonga
in a test-match, 32-20. The Oak Leaf Knights’ Tudor Bodnar and Florin Surugiu succeeded
two tries, with Tudor Boldor successfully scoring both. It was also Boldor who
twice scored a penalty kick. Romanian national team’s other 12 points were
scored by Daniel Plai, also from penalty kicks. Romania national team’s recent
victory triggered a swap in their favour: according to world rankings, Romania climbed
one notch up, being 15th- placed, while Tonga are 16th- placed.
Romanian national team’ s record in the autumn of 2021 includes a 29-14 win against
Uruguay, in a test match hosted by a stadium in Verona, Italy, and a 56-14 win against
the Low Countries team. The latter match was played in Bucharest on November
13. Both fixtures were played as part of Rugby Europe Championship 2021.

In women’s handball this past Saturday, CSM Bucharest succeeded
a 27-21 home win against Ferencvaros Budapest. In a match counting towards
Champions league’s group A. Head-coach Adrian Vasile’s trainees thus took their
revenge as a week ago, they were outclassed by Ferencvaros by the narrowest of
margins, thanks to a last-second goal scored by the Hungarians. CSM’s top
scorer was again Cristina Neagu, who scored 9 goals. The win against
Ferencvaros earned CSM the 4th place in group A. At the end of the competition’s
group stage, the first two teams compete straight in the quarterfinals. To
advance to the League’s upper stages, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th placed teams will have to prove their mettle in the playoffs.
The Champions League will be resumed earlier next year, when CSM play an away game
against Brest in France on January 8th.

Also in women’s handball, in the European League this time,
SCM Ramnicu Valcea advanced to the competition’s group stage, following a
double win against Spain’s Super Amara Bera Bera, whom they defeated 34-28 at
home and 29-27 in San Sebastian this past Saturday. Măgura Cisnădie outclassed
Hungarian opponents Debrecen on aggregate, 22-all away from home and 25 -21 on
home court, this past Saturday. Also on aggregate, Gloria Buzau was eliminated from
competition by Norway’s Storhamar, after a 26-all home draw this past Sunday and
a previous 27-31 defeat in Norway.

In news from football, this past weekend saw matches being played,
counting towards League One’s 16th round. On Friday in Giurgiu, Sepsi
Sfântu Gheorghe defeated Academica Clinceni, 2-nil, while in Ploiești, Chindia
Târgoviște held Rapid Bucharest to a 2-all draw. On Saturday, in Ovidiu in the
south-east, Farul Constanta were held by UTA Arad to a blank draw, while CFR
Cluj grabbed a 2-nil away win against FC U Craiova. On Sunday, FC Argeș secured
a 3-2 win against Universitatea Craiova. In Bucharest, FCSB secured a 3-1 win
against FC Botosani. On Monday, CS Mioveni take on Gaz Metan Medias, while FC
Voluntari play Dinamo Bucharest. CFR Cluj are at the top of the table, with 42
points, followed by FCSB, with 34.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

22 November 2021
Sports roundup

Romania’s national rugby squad on Saturday trounced Tonga
in a test-match, 32-20. The Oak Leaf Knights’ Tudor Bodnar and Florin Surugiu succeeded
two tries, with Tudor Boldor successfully scoring both. It was also Boldor who
twice scored a penalty kick. Romanian national team’s other 12 points were
scored by Daniel Plai, also from penalty kicks. Romania national team’s recent
victory triggered a swap in their favour: according to world rankings, Romania climbed
one notch up, being 15th- placed, while Tonga are 16th- placed.
Romanian national team’ s record in the autumn of 2021 includes a 29-14 win against
Uruguay, in a test match hosted by a stadium in Verona, Italy, and a 56-14 win against
the Low Countries team. The latter match was played in Bucharest on November
13. Both fixtures were played as part of Rugby Europe Championship 2021.

In women’s handball this past Saturday, CSM Bucharest succeeded
a 27-21 home win against Ferencvaros Budapest. In a match counting towards
Champions league’s group A. Head-coach Adrian Vasile’s trainees thus took their
revenge as a week ago, they were outclassed by Ferencvaros by the narrowest of
margins, thanks to a last-second goal scored by the Hungarians. CSM’s top
scorer was again Cristina Neagu, who scored 9 goals. The win against
Ferencvaros earned CSM the 4th place in group A. At the end of the competition’s
group stage, the first two teams compete straight in the quarterfinals. To
advance to the League’s upper stages, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th placed teams will have to prove their mettle in the playoffs.
The Champions League will be resumed earlier next year, when CSM play an away game
against Brest in France on January 8th.

Also in women’s handball, in the European League this time,
SCM Ramnicu Valcea advanced to the competition’s group stage, following a
double win against Spain’s Super Amara Bera Bera, whom they defeated 34-28 at
home and 29-27 in San Sebastian this past Saturday. Măgura Cisnădie outclassed
Hungarian opponents Debrecen on aggregate, 22-all away from home and 25 -21 on
home court, this past Saturday. Also on aggregate, Gloria Buzau was eliminated from
competition by Norway’s Storhamar, after a 26-all home draw this past Sunday and
a previous 27-31 defeat in Norway.

In news from football, this past weekend saw matches being played,
counting towards League One’s 16th round. On Friday in Giurgiu, Sepsi
Sfântu Gheorghe defeated Academica Clinceni, 2-nil, while in Ploiești, Chindia
Târgoviște held Rapid Bucharest to a 2-all draw. On Saturday, in Ovidiu in the
south-east, Farul Constanta were held by UTA Arad to a blank draw, while CFR
Cluj grabbed a 2-nil away win against FC U Craiova. On Sunday, FC Argeș secured
a 3-2 win against Universitatea Craiova. In Bucharest, FCSB secured a 3-1 win
against FC Botosani. On Monday, CS Mioveni take on Gaz Metan Medias, while FC
Voluntari play Dinamo Bucharest. CFR Cluj are at the top of the table, with 42
points, followed by FCSB, with 34.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

22 November 2021
A great Romanian tennis champion has just retired from competition

Romania’s best men’s doubles tennis player of all
time, 36-year old Horia Tecau, has announced he retires from competition. Tecau’s
career includes 38 wins in ATP tournaments, participation in three Grand Slam
finals and a silver medal he won in the Olympics.

The Romanian tennis player Horia Tecau has announced
his retirement from competition. Tecau made the announcement on Thursday, after
the last match he played as part of the Champions Tournament in Turin. Here is what
Horia Tecau posted on his Facebook page, QUOTE The flow of emotions is
literally overwhelming, right now. I am grateful. For my trail, for what I have
experienced, for the people I met. Sports was my playground, my school, it taught
me to dream, to be confident and to perfect myself, in time. The energy of the
tennis court as well as that of the tennis lovers offered a big reward and I shall
keep that feeling in my heart forever. Time has come for me to enjoy life differently
and turn the whole amount of that energy into a new form UNQUOTE.

Horia Tecău and the German Kevin Krawietz ended
their trail in this year’s edition of the ATP tournament in Turin with a 6-3,
6-7,10-6 win against Spanish-Argentinean pair made of Marcel Granollers and Horacio
Zeballos. Tecau and Krawietz had been defeated in the first two matches they
played in Turin, so the recent win was not enough for them to make headway into
the competition. In the tournament’s previous editions, pairing up with Robert
Lindstedt of Sweden, Horia Tecau competed twice, while jointly with Dutch
tennis player Jean-Julien Rojer, the Romanian fought in the tournament four
times. We recall Tecau and Rojer emerged as winners in 2015.

Horia Tecău was born in Brasov on January 19, 1985. He
has been playing tennis since he was 7. In 2002, Tecau and another Romanian, Florin
Mergea, were men’s doubles juniors’ champions in Wimbledon. Horia Tecau turned
pro in 2003. Since July 2008, Horia Tecau has earned his place among the world’s
top 100 tennis players according to the men’s doubles rankings. Since November
2009, Tecau earned his position among the world’s top 50 tennis players. His
progress according to the world’s doubles rankings has since been steady, and
in November 2015, Horia Tecau was 2nd-placed in the world. His
career includes 38 men’s double wins in ATP tournaments. Also, Horia Tecau
reached as far as the finals 24 times. In the men’s doubles, Horia Tecau twice
won two Grand Slam tournaments, in Wimbledon, in 2015 and in the 2017 edition
of the US Open. Tecau was pairing up with Dutch tennis player Jean-Julien Rojer
in both events. The Romanian’s record also includes a mixed doubles title. We
recall that in the Australian Open in 2012, Horia Tecau emerged as winner, pairing up with
US tennis player Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The Romanian also reached as far as the
Grand Slam tournaments finals five times, but he was defeated. Horia Tecau
played three Wimbledon finals in 2010, 2011 and 2012, jointly with Robert
Lindstedt. In the Australian Open in 2014, Horia Tecau was pairing up with
Indian tennis player Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles’ version of the
competition. Also in the Australian Open, in 2016, Tecau played the final jointly
with US tennis player CoCo Vandeweghe. In the Olympic Games in Rio, in 2016,
Horia Tecau walked away with silver, a medal he won alongside Florin Mergea. The
Romanian has been Romania’s Davis Cup team member since 2003. Back then Tecau
and Mergea managed to put Romania in the World Group, after a dramatic confrontation
against Ecuadorian challengers, brothers Giovanni and Nicolas Lapentti. Also in
a Davis Cup fixture, Tecau will play for the last time in his career against
Peru, in Cluj Napoca on November 27 and 28.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

19 November 2021
The Athlete of the week

One of last week’s
headline-hitting events in women’s professional tennis was the WTA tennis tournament
in Linz, Austria, an event with 190,000 Euros up for grabs. US Open winner Emma Raducanu
was one of the seeded players in Linz, alongside former WTA leader Simona Halep.
Of the Romanian tennis players who competed in Linz, best-placed was Jaqueline Cristian,
who played her first women’s singles final in a WTA tournament, in Austria. Reason
enough for Radio Romania International to designate Jaqueline Cristian the Athlete
of the week.

In Linz,
Jaqueline Cristian played the qualifiers and in the last round she was
outclassed by Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. Cristian
was nonetheless included in the tournament’s main draw as a lucky loser. In the
first round, Jaqueline Cristian defeated Russia’s Kamila Rahimova, 2-6, 6-2,
7-5. The Romanian went past the tournament’s round of 16 as Sweden opponent Rebeca
Peterson pulled out of the match when in the very first set, Cristian had a 5-2 lead.
In the quarterfinals, Jaqueline Cristian defeated Russian opponent Veronika
Kudermetova, 6-3, 7-6. In the semi-finals, Cristian’s scheduled match against Simona
Halep was no longer played since the former WTA player pulled out of
competition because of an injury. In the final, Jaqueline Cristian was
dramatically defeated by Alison Riske of the USA, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5, after two
hours and 24 minutes of play.

Jaqueline
Cristian was born on June 5, 1998, in Bucharest. She won 10 ITF women’s singles titles and a similar number of titles, 10, in the doubles version of the
tournaments she played in. In 2015, at BRD Bucharest Open, Jaqueline Cristian
made her debut in a WTF tournament, in the women’s doubles, pairing up with Elena
– Gabriela Ruse. It was also in Bucharest and also pairing up with Elena -
Gabriela Ruse that Jaqueline Cristian played her first women’s doubles final in
2019. Back then Cristian and Ruse were defeated by the Slovak-Czech pair made
of Viktória Kužmová and Kristýna Plíšková.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

16 November 2021
The Athlete of the week

One of last week’s
headline-hitting events in women’s professional tennis was the WTA tennis tournament
in Linz, Austria, an event with 190,000 Euros up for grabs. US Open winner Emma Raducanu
was one of the seeded players in Linz, alongside former WTA leader Simona Halep.
Of the Romanian tennis players who competed in Linz, best-placed was Jaqueline Cristian,
who played her first women’s singles final in a WTA tournament, in Austria. Reason
enough for Radio Romania International to designate Jaqueline Cristian the Athlete
of the week.

In Linz,
Jaqueline Cristian played the qualifiers and in the last round she was
outclassed by Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. Cristian
was nonetheless included in the tournament’s main draw as a lucky loser. In the
first round, Jaqueline Cristian defeated Russia’s Kamila Rahimova, 2-6, 6-2,
7-5. The Romanian went past the tournament’s round of 16 as Sweden opponent Rebeca
Peterson pulled out of the match when in the very first set, Cristian had a 5-2 lead.
In the quarterfinals, Jaqueline Cristian defeated Russian opponent Veronika
Kudermetova, 6-3, 7-6. In the semi-finals, Cristian’s scheduled match against Simona
Halep was no longer played since the former WTA player pulled out of
competition because of an injury. In the final, Jaqueline Cristian was
dramatically defeated by Alison Riske of the USA, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5, after two
hours and 24 minutes of play.

Jaqueline
Cristian was born on June 5, 1998, in Bucharest. She won 10 ITF women’s singles titles and a similar number of titles, 10, in the doubles version of the
tournaments she played in. In 2015, at BRD Bucharest Open, Jaqueline Cristian
made her debut in a WTF tournament, in the women’s doubles, pairing up with Elena
– Gabriela Ruse. It was also in Bucharest and also pairing up with Elena -
Gabriela Ruse that Jaqueline Cristian played her first women’s doubles final in
2019. Back then Cristian and Ruse were defeated by the Slovak-Czech pair made
of Viktória Kužmová and Kristýna Plíšková.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

16 November 2021
Sports roundup

Romania ‘s national rugby team this past Saturday trounced the Low Countries
representative, 56-15, in Bucharest. The national squad scored no less than
eight successful tries. Georgia is at the top of the table in the group, with
23 points. Romania follows suit, with 13 points, standing on a par with 3rd-placed
team Portugal. The fixture against the Low Countries was the last game the national
team played as part of the Rugby Europe Championship 2021. The Triumphal Arch
Rugby stadium in Bucharest on November 20 this year will host Romania’s test
match against Tonga.

In news from women’s handball, this past Saturday, in a Champions League
Group A fixture, CSM Bucharest sustained a dramatic 30-31 away defeat by Hungary’s
Ferencvaros Budapest. Former CSM Bucharest player Itana Grbic sealed the fate of the game in the last second of play. CSM’s
top scorers were Cristina Neagu, with 7 goals, and Elizabeth Omoregie, with 6 goals.
CSM yet again take on Ferencvaros this coming Saturday in Bucharest. In Group
A, Ferencvaros are at the top of the table, while CSM are 6th-placed.

Also in women’s handball, SCM Ramnicu Valcea secured a 34-28 home win
against Spanish opponents Super Amara Bera Bera this past Saturday. Also
on Saturday, Măgura Cisnădie drew
against Debrecen, 22-all, away from home. On Sunday, Gloria Buzau were defeated
by Norwegian opponents Storhamar, 31-27, also away from home. The three
fixtures counted towards the first leg of the European League in women’s
handball’s third qualifying round. The second leg will be played later this week.
The winners advance to the competition’s group stage.

In news from tennis, in a match counting towards The Champions
Tournament’s Green Group, the Romanian-German pair made of Horia Tecău and Kevin
Krawietz this past Sunday was defeated by the all-Croatian pair made of Nikola
Mektic and Mate Pavic, 6-4, 6-4. For Horia Tecau, it was the seventh edition of
the Champions Tournament he participated in. We recall that jointly with the
Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer, Horia Tecau won the tournament in 2015.

In news from football, this past Saturday, Romania’s
national team grabbed a 2-nil win against Liechtenstein, in Vadiz, in a fixture
counting towards the 2022 World Cup Preliminaries’ Group J. However, Romania
has failed to qualify to the playoffs of the tournament, to be played in Qatar.
According to the final rankings in Group J, Romania came in 3rd. We
recall 2nd-placed Germany secured their straight qualification to
the final tournament, while North Macedonia secured their participation to the competition’s
playoffs.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

16 November 2021
Sports roundup

Romania ‘s national rugby team this past Saturday trounced the Low Countries
representative, 56-15, in Bucharest. The national squad scored no less than
eight successful tries. Georgia is at the top of the table in the group, with
23 points. Romania follows suit, with 13 points, standing on a par with 3rd-placed
team Portugal. The fixture against the Low Countries was the last game the national
team played as part of the Rugby Europe Championship 2021. The Triumphal Arch
Rugby stadium in Bucharest on November 20 this year will host Romania’s test
match against Tonga.

In news from women’s handball, this past Saturday, in a Champions League
Group A fixture, CSM Bucharest sustained a dramatic 30-31 away defeat by Hungary’s
Ferencvaros Budapest. Former CSM Bucharest player Itana Grbic sealed the fate of the game in the last second of play. CSM’s
top scorers were Cristina Neagu, with 7 goals, and Elizabeth Omoregie, with 6 goals.
CSM yet again take on Ferencvaros this coming Saturday in Bucharest. In Group
A, Ferencvaros are at the top of the table, while CSM are 6th-placed.

Also in women’s handball, SCM Ramnicu Valcea secured a 34-28 home win
against Spanish opponents Super Amara Bera Bera this past Saturday. Also
on Saturday, Măgura Cisnădie drew
against Debrecen, 22-all, away from home. On Sunday, Gloria Buzau were defeated
by Norwegian opponents Storhamar, 31-27, also away from home. The three
fixtures counted towards the first leg of the European League in women’s
handball’s third qualifying round. The second leg will be played later this week.
The winners advance to the competition’s group stage.

In news from tennis, in a match counting towards The Champions
Tournament’s Green Group, the Romanian-German pair made of Horia Tecău and Kevin
Krawietz this past Sunday was defeated by the all-Croatian pair made of Nikola
Mektic and Mate Pavic, 6-4, 6-4. For Horia Tecau, it was the seventh edition of
the Champions Tournament he participated in. We recall that jointly with the
Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer, Horia Tecau won the tournament in 2015.

In news from football, this past Saturday, Romania’s
national team grabbed a 2-nil win against Liechtenstein, in Vadiz, in a fixture
counting towards the 2022 World Cup Preliminaries’ Group J. However, Romania
has failed to qualify to the playoffs of the tournament, to be played in Qatar.
According to the final rankings in Group J, Romania came in 3rd. We
recall 2nd-placed Germany secured their straight qualification to
the final tournament, while North Macedonia secured their participation to the competition’s
playoffs.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

15 November 2021
Radio Romania International Sports Club

The Transylvanian Open women’s
tennis tournament, venued by the BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca, has drawn to a close.
Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit is the winner of the tournament as in the final,
Kontaveit defeated top-seeded Simona Halep, 6-2, 6-3. The tournament had 235, 238
USD in prize money.

25-year-old Kontaveit is
WTA 14th-placed and it took her only one hour and ten minutes of
play to beat Halep. The win in Cluj-Napoca booked Kontaveit the ticket for the Champions Tournament. Anett Kontaveit received a cheque worth 29,000 USD .200 de dolari and
280 WTA points, while Halep received a cheque worth 16, 398 USD and 180 WTA
points. For 30-year-old Simona Halep, it was the 40-th WTA tournament final of
her career. So far, Halep has won 22 and lost 18 final confrontations.

Notwithstanding, Romania
had a winner in the Transylvania Open. Pairing up with Georgia’s Ekaterina
Gorgodze in the women’s doubles final, Irina Bara grabbed a 4-6, 6-1, 11-9 win
against Serbian-Dutch pair made of Aleksandra Krunic and Lesley Pattinama
Kerkhove. It is the first title for Bara and Gorgodze, who received a cheque
worth 10, 300 USD and 280 WTA points according to the doubles’ rankings. Krunic and Kerkhove received a cheque worth 6, 000
USD and 180 WTA points.

According to the WTA women’s
singles rankings, four Romanian competitors can be found among the world’s top
100 tennis players. Simona Halep is 22nd-placed while Sorana Cîrstea
is 38th-ranked. Irina Begu and Gabriela Ruse are 60th and
86th-placed, respectively. Jaqueline Cristian is 104th-ranked
and Ana Bogdan is 108th-placed, so they are a whisker away from earning
a place among the world’s top 100 players.

Australian Ashleigh
Barty is at the top pf the WTA rankings, with 7, 701 points.

Four Romanian tennis
players have already been included in the world’s top 100 players according to
the WTA doubles rankings. They are Raluca Olaru, who is 36th-placed,
Monica Niculescu, who is 39th-placed, Irina-Camelia Begu, who is 61st and Andreea Mitu, who is 100th-placed according to the WTA rankings.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

3 November 2021