Irina Camelia Begu

Biography

Irina Begu was born in Bucharest. Her mother, Steluta, works for the Government of Romania, while her father Paul is an electrician. She has an older brother, Andrei.

She started playing tennis when she was 3 years old, her aunt Aura Wagner coached her and she is currently working with two coaches at a club in Bucharest. Her hobbies include shopping and going to the cinema with friends. She likes Melbourne and Paris, but her favorite city is New York.

Irina's favorite surface is clay, she admires Martina Hingis and Roger Federer and her goal is to become a top 10 player.

2011: Breakthrough

Irina Begu started the year at No.234, never winning a main draw match at WTA level.

Begu won the first $100,000 ITF event of her career in February in Cali, defeating world No. 82 Laura Pous Tio in the final in straight sets.

In April, she entered the 2011 Andalucia Tennis Experience as a qualifier and eventually made the qualifications without losing a set. Then she defeated Alberta Brianti 6–4, 6–1 in the first round and followed that up with a 7–5, 6–0 win over Estrella Cabeza Candela to advance to the quarterfinals. She made to the semifinals after she beat 34th-ranked Klara Zakopalova 6–3, 6–3. In the semifinal, she stunned world No. 14 and former world No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova 3–6, 7–6, 6–4 to reach her first WTA final, eventually losing to Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.

Begu neared her first ever WTA title, reaching her second final of the year in Budapest on 10 July. The Romanian played the semifinal more aggressive than the fifth seed Anabel Medina Garrigues who allowed the youngster break her when counted the most. Irina had previously crashed another Spaniard Estrella Cabeza Candela 6–0, 6–3. Her first round have brought her a 6–4, 6–4 win over another Spanish player, Laura Pous Tio whom she defeated 6–4, 6–4, and a second straight similar win over Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia. She eventually lost the last act against Top-seeded Roberta Vinci, 4–6, 6–1, 4–6.

She posted in July the lone upset of second-round at the 2011 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo tournament in Italy, defeating second-seeded Roberta Vinci 6–4, 6–3, after eliminating another local in the first round, Maria Elena Camerin. Begu lost eventually to the fifth-seed Anabel Medina Garrigues in the quarterfinals, who was also the winner of the competition.

In the same month, Irina-Camelia Begu won the 2011 BCR Open Romania Ladies title from Bucharest, after defeating the Spanish opponent Laura Pous Tio 6–3, 7–5, in the final. Begu has achieved her third consecutive win against Laura Pous Tio, in 2011, after the ones in Cali and Budapest. It was her fifth final of the year and her second trophy. The 50 WTA points allow Irina to enter the top 50 of best women players in the world, becoming also the highest ranked Romanian player.

2012: First WTA Title

Irina-Camelia Begu, ranked World No. 96, won her opening match at the US Open, defeating the 8th seed, 2009 finalist and two-time semi-finalist Caroline Wozniacki. She won 6–2, 6–2. She subsequently lost to Silvia Soler Espinosa of Spain in Round 2.

In September of that year, she won her first WTA title in Tashkent, beating Donna Vekic 6-4 6-4 in the final.

2014: First WTA Premier Final and Two WTA doubles Titles

Begu starts the seasson losing in qualifying tours in Sydney and Brisbane.At the Australian Open she play qualifying roung beat Stephanie Vogt, Jovana Jaksic and Madison Brengle before losing in the main draw to kazah Galina Voskoboeva in three sets. On Rio she play qalifying rounds and she reatch quarterfinal after beat 8th seed Vania King and Veronica Cepede Royg in the main draw before loving to Teliana Pereira in two sets. on doubles Begu make team whit Maria Irigoyen winning the title. On Oeiras she made semifinals beating in her route Kurumi Nara, Kaia Kanepi and Timea Bacsinszky before losing to eventual champion Carla Suarez Navarro whit 7-6(3), 6-1. On Seoul in singles she lost in the first round to Chanelle Scheepers in three sets.In doubels she make team whit Lara Arruabarrena defeating in the final Mona Barthel and Mandy Minella with the score 6-3, 6-3 claim her secound WTA doubles title on the year. On Moscow she reatch her first Premier Finlal beat in her route Donna Vekic whit 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3, 2nd seed Ekaterina Makarova whit 6-4, 6-4, Tsvetana Pironkova whit 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 and 4th seed Lucie Safarova whit 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3 before losing to seed 6 and the eventual champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova whit the score 6-4, 5-7, 6-1, whit this result she comeback in the top 40.

2015: First major 4th round, second WTA title, Top 30

Begu achieved her best singles Grand Slam result at the 2015 Australian Open, reaching the fourth round for the first time before being defeated by Eugenie Bouchard in three sets. Prior to that she defeated ninth seed Angelique Kerber in the first round.

In Rio, Begu made semifinals by beating in her route Olivia Rogowska, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Julia Glushko in two sets before losing to eventual winner of the tournament Anna Schmiedlova in three sets.

As the Charleston seed 13, she made quarterfinals after Ekaterina Makarova's withdrawal, losing in two tie-breaks to Angelique Kerber.

At Madrid she made the quarterfinals beating in route Kurumi Nara, Andrea Petkovic's withdrew, and Barbora Strycova before losing to Petra Kvitova. On Rome she made third round losing in three sets to Victoria Azarenka.

At the French Open Begu reached for the first time 3th round beating on her route Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 7-6(6), Anna Konjuh 6-2, 6-0 before losing to Petra Kvitova with 6-3, 6-2.

On Wimbledon she reached the third round by beating Daria Gavrilova with 7-6(6), 6-1 a tough match with Lesia Tsurenko defending her 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-5, then losing to 4th seed Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3.

At Washington seed 6, Begu made quarterfinals by beating Madison Brengle and Polona Hercog before losing to 1st seed of the tournament Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. Despite only 2 wins in 6 matches in the American season, with her US Open opener lost, Begu reached a career high as the world no.28 ranking.

Seeded no.1, she then won her second WTA title in Korea Open (tennis), by defeating Kateryna Kozlova 6-2, 6-4, Polona Hercog 6-2, 6-7^6-8, 6-2, Johanna Larsson 6-4, 7-5, Alison Van Uytvanck 6-0, 6-2, and in the final WTA rising star Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3, 6-1.

Awards