Radio România Internațional

Tag: WTA circuit

  • Simona Halep breaks new record

    Simona Halep breaks new record

    Simona Halep won the Dubai
    tournament on Saturday after a break of 5 years. The 28-year-old player
    prevailed at the end of a drama-packed 2-hour-and-a-half final against the
    young and talented Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan. Simona defeated Rybakina after
    last autumn in Wuhan Halep was forced to withdraw in a direct encounter with
    the Kazakhstani player. It’s very special to win my 20th title here
    at the 20th edition of the Dubai tournament in 2020. I will enjoy
    it, it’s a very beautiful moment, Simona said, adding I feel extraordinary
    for being able to win. It was amazing. Rykabina fought to the very end, she
    didn’t give up any points. It was very challenging mentally, the pressure piled
    up, but I really wanted to win, so I gave it all to the very end. Halep
    praised her opponent, whom many see as Maria Sharapova’s successor in the WTA
    circuit.

    She’s very strong. Her serve
    is powerful, she’s tall and robust. I think she will soon enter the top 10,
    Halep described Rybakina. The former world no. 1, currently world no. 2, has
    won her first title this year. Halep just entered the 318th consecutive
    week in the top 10 players, which makes her the 10th player in the
    world history to do so. The figures may be boring, but they are key to
    understanding one of the greatest athlete in the history of Romanian tennis, if
    not sports as a whole. This is all the more important as Romania is struggling
    with achieving excellence in the field of sports, facing severe underfunding.
    With 20 titles won so far, Simona Halep has matched the performance of Victoria
    Azarenka of Belarus, and is ranked 6th in the standings of players
    who are still active, after Serena and Venus Williams, Kim Clujsters, Maria
    Sharapova and Petra Kvitova. I’ve had many good results in the last 6-7 years.
    I’ve always ranked in the top 5 or top 10, which isn’t easy. I’m proud of my
    achievements, and these tournaments are a confidence boost for me, confirming
    I’m still able to play at top level, Halep went on to say.

    Simona Halep won
    her first WTA tournaments 7 years ago, in Nurnberg, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Budapest,
    New Haven, Moscow and Sofia. At the same time she won the Doha, Bucharest,
    Shenzhen, Dubai, Indian Wells, Madrid and Montreal tournaments. She won two
    Grand Slam tournaments, in Roland Garros in 2018 and in Wimbledon last year,
    after a historic final against tennis legend Serena Williams. The Romanian also
    played an Australian Open final in 2018. So far Halep lost 17 finals, and it
    would be naïve to dwell on this statistic. On the contrary, it goes to say that
    Halep has been a constant achiever in tennis. Last but not least, Halep has had
    major contributions to Romania’s wins in the Fed Cup, and will represent
    Romania at the Tokyo Summer Olympics this year.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • A Romanian-born Canadian shines in New York

    A Romanian-born Canadian shines in New York

    Romanian-born Canadian tennis
    player Bianca Andreescu won her first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows in
    New York. Bianca was over the moon with her 6-3, 7-5 win over US tennis legend
    Serena Williams, 18 years her senior. Aged 19, Andreescu was ranked 15 in WTA
    standings prior to the tournament, and as of today she will be ranked 5th.
    Her performance at the US Open was remarkable. She lost only two sets overall.
    The media dubs her one of the best players in the circuit at present, after
    also winning the Indian Wells and Toronto tournaments earlier this year. I
    don’t think I’ve lost a match since March, so my confidence is sky-rocketing
    right now. I just don’t want to take anything for granted because there’s going
    to be weeks where you’re going to lose, Bianca told the press, her maturity
    and lucidity quite at odds with her young age.

    Andreescu explained her play
    style is quite challenging for the other players in the WTA circuit: When
    I play my game I think nobody really likes that because I play a lot different
    than other players on tour. I like to change up the rhythm and I’ve always been
    like that and I just kept improving it. The new US Open champion also
    admitted to her weaknesses: I don’t think I was ever as composed as I am
    now, or even a year ago. I would get really down on myself and I would get very
    negative thoughts going through my mind. I would smash racquets. I’d just yell
    at myself during matches, Andreescu went on the say. Andreescu’s stunning win
    at the US Open was celebrated in Canada at the International Film Festival in
    Toronto, the famous actor Christopher Plummer conveying his congratulations. In
    turn, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his support for Bianca.

    Romanian
    fans too were over the moon for Bianca’s victory. Ten years ago Bianca took up
    tennis right here, in Pitesti, southern Romania, living with her grandparents.
    Like millions of other Romanians, Bianca’s parents moved abroad seeking a
    better life, but made sure to instill in their little girl their love for their
    home country. To all my Romanian friends, I want to say thank you for your
    support, I love you, Bianca said recently. Bianca Andreescu is now the first
    Canadian player to win a Grand Slam tournament. This is not the only success
    story of a Romanian living in the Diaspora. France’s current Sports Minister,
    Roxana Maracineanu, was the first French swimmer to become world champion 21
    years ago. In 2000 she won silver at the Sydney Olympics, outranked only by
    Romania’s Diana Mocanu. She wept when Romania’s national anthem was played,
    feeling this was her anthem too.

    (Translated by V. Palcu)