Irina Begu put an end to a 7-month nightmare caused by injuries, coming back strong in the WTA circuit. The Romanian reached the final of the tournament in Antalya, the first played since August 2023, when she exited in the first round at the US Open.
Irina Begu successfully returned to the tennis court. Photo EPA EFE
The 33-year-old player had a perfect course until the last act of the competition, passing in two sets Kraus, Wurth, Hercog and Japan's Uchijima, all ranked after the 100th place in the world. In the final, Begu lost the first set (2-6) with the Spanish Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, located one position lower than the Romanian in the WTA hierarchy, but won the second with emotions, 6-4, after leading with 4- 1 and was tied by the opponent.
The decider started with a game by Irina, after which the opponent went wild and won 5 games in a row. It ended 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 for the Spanish athlete, so Begu has to settle for entering the last act of the competition in Antalya, with 8,500 euros and 95 points in the WTA ranking.
