Irina Begu, fantastic victory in Italy. The Romanian is in the eighth place in Rome, after destroying a favorite

Irina Begu, fantastic victory in Italy. The Romanian is in the eighth place in Rome, after destroying a favorite

After going through a serious injury that kept her out of the field for 7 months, Irina Begu returned, at the end of March, much stronger on the playing surface.

Irina Begu is in the eighth in Rome. Photo EPA EFE

The Romanian reached the final of the tournament in Antalya, then lost badly in Madrid (6-7, 6-7 with Madison Keys), after which she qualified for a semi-final in Germany, in Wiesbaden. Now, Irina Begu has reached the round of 16 in Rome, after a fantastic victory over the 27th favorite of the Italian Internationals, Elise Mertens.

Against the Belgian, the Romanian started more difficult, being led 2-1 at the start of the game. Then he went on a rampage, winning all the way: 11 straight games, for a 6-2, 6-0 victory in just 80 minutes.

After qualifying for the round of 16 of the Rome tournament, the Romanian ranked 161st WTA will face the winner of the match Danielle Collins (15th WTA) – Caroline Garcia (23rd WTA). The perfect evolution from the Italian Internationals already ensures her a jump of about 40 places in the WTA ranking, starting next Monday.

Adrian Stoica

Adrian Stoica

Adrian is the founder and the visionary behind Cluj Napoca, a media platform committed to capturing and sharing the vibrant stories of Cluj-Napoca and Romania with an international audience. A graduate in international journalism from the University of Bucharest and holder of a Master’s in Cultural Studies from Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Adrian has a robust educational background that equips him to understand and analyze the complexities of his native region's culture and history.