Three tennis players from Romania this coming weekend will play in the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, an event with almost 9 million dollars in prize money. In the first round on Wednesday, Irina Begu defeated Ann Li of the USA, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1.
Begu will next go against 25th- seeded tennis player, Great Britain’s Katie Boulder. On Thursday, Jaqueline Cristian defeated Russian opponent Veronika Kudermetova, 6-2, 6-3. This coming weekend, Cristian takes on 27th-seeded player, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez. Sorana Cîrstea will also go against another seeded player, US opponent Emma Navarro, 10th-seeded in Indian Wells.
We recall Cirstea in the first round outclassed Australian challenger Maya Joint, who came straight from the qualifiers, 6-2,7-5.
At the World Women’s Boxing Championships in Nis, Serbia, due to kick-start this coming Saturday, Romania will dispatch a 10-strong delegation of boxers. European champion in 2019 and vice-word champion in 2022, Lacramioara Perijoc stands the greatest chances to winning a medal. Perijoc’s record also includes European silver medals, in 2023 and 2024. In Nis, Lacramioara Perijoc will compete in the 57-kilogram category.
Also keeping her hopes alive to winning a medal is Claudia Nechita, a boxer who initially competed in the 57-kilogram category and now fights in the 60-kilogram category. We recall Nechita participated in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. In 2024 at the European Championships in Belgrade Nechita walked home with the silver medal.
The prize money for the medal is impressive: 100, 000 USD for gold, 50, 000 USD for silver and 25, 000 USD for the bronze medal. 10,000 USD go to the 5th-placed boxer. Prize money all told amounts to almost three million USD.
Football matches are scheduled at the weekend, counting towards the 30th round, the last one, of Romanian Superleague’s regular season. On Friday, Oţelul Galaţi are pitted against Poli Iaşi, while Farul Constanţa play Universitatea Cluj. In Ploiesti on Saturday, the local side Petrolul play Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. In Sibiu, Hermannstadt take on Rapid Bucharest.
In the first fixture on Sunday, CFR Cluj play a home match against Gloria Buzău. On Sunday evening in Bucharest, round 30th’ derby will see top-of-the-table team FCSB facing the runner-up team Universitatea Craiova. Bucharest team FCSB are fresh from a 1-3 defeat in the Europa League’s round of 16, in the first leg of the tie against French team Olympique Lyonnais.
The regular season’s last two fixtures are scheduled on Monday, as FC Botoşani are pitted against Unirea Slobozia, while UTA go against Dinamo. FCSB are at the top of the as-it-stands table, with 53 points. Universitatea Craiova follows suit, with 52 points.