Irina-Camelia Begu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Irina-Camelia Begu

Begu at the 2025 Transylvania Open
Country (sports)	Romania
Residence	Bucharest, Romania
Born	(1990-08-26) 26 August 1990 (age 34) Bucharest
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Turned pro	2005
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Victor Crivoi
Prize money	US$ 8,787,983
Singles
Career record	523–363 (59.03%)
Career titles	6
Highest ranking	No. 22 (22 August 2016)
Current ranking	No. 82 (21 July 2025)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	4R (2015)
French Open	4R (2016, 2022)
Wimbledon	3R (2015, 2021, 2022)
US Open	2R (2012, 2014, 2018, 2022)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	1R (2012, 2016, 2024)
Doubles
Career record	287–195 (59.54%)
Career titles	9
Highest ranking	No. 22 (1 October 2018)
Current ranking	No. 156 (14 July 2025)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	SF (2018)
French Open	SF (2021)
Wimbledon	QF (2018)
US Open	3R (2015)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	1R (2016, 2024)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2017)
Other mixed doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	QF (2016)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	15–12 (55.56%)

Irina-Camelia Begu (born on August 26, 1990) is a professional tennis player from Romania. She is known for her strong right-handed play. Irina reached her highest singles ranking of world No. 22 in August 2016. Two years later, she also reached No. 22 in doubles.

Irina has won many titles throughout her career. She has six singles titles and nine doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She also won three singles titles on the WTA Challenger Tour. Plus, she has 12 singles and 19 doubles titles from the ITF Women's Circuit.

As a junior player, she made it to the semifinals at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships in doubles. In her senior career, she continued to do well in Grand Slam doubles. She reached the semifinals at the 2018 Australian Open and the quarterfinals at the 2017 French Open and 2018 Wimbledon Championships. In singles, her best Grand Slam result is reaching the round of 16. She achieved this at the 2015 Australian Open, 2016 French Open, and 2022 French Open.

About Irina-Camelia Begu's Early Life

Irina-Camelia Begu was born in Bucharest, Romania, on August 26, 1990. Her mother, Steluţa, works as a civil servant, and her father, Paul, is an electrician. Irina has an older brother named Andrei.

She started playing tennis very young, at just three and a half years old. Her aunt, Aurelia Gheorghe, who was also a tennis player, introduced her to the sport. When she was younger, Irina also tried gymnastics and played handball. At 14, she joined a special one-month tour with the ITF. Her childhood hero in tennis was Martina Hingis.

Irina's Tennis Journey

Junior Career Highlights

Irina Begu was a top junior player, reaching world No. 14 on August 27, 2007. She started playing on the ITF Junior Circuit in January 2005. She won one singles title and three doubles titles during her junior career.

In June 2006, she won her first junior singles title in Mohammedia. She also reached other finals and semifinals in important junior tournaments. At the 2007 Wimbledon Championships, she reached the doubles semifinals. Her last junior tournament was the 2008 French Open.

Starting as a Professional (2005–2010)

Irina Begu in 2009

Singles Play

Irina began her professional career on the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour in May 2005. She reached her first ITF final in September 2006. A year later, she won her first ITF title in Brașov. In October 2008, she won a bigger ITF title in Jounieh. By the end of 2008, her ranking had climbed from outside the top 800 to inside the top 250.

In July 2009, she played her first WTA Tour match at the Hungarian Open.

Doubles Play

Irina started her ITF doubles career in September 2005. She won her first ITF doubles title in July 2006. In May 2009, she won a big ITF doubles title in Bucharest with Simona Halep. She made her WTA Tour doubles debut at the Palermo Ladies Open in 2009. By August 2010, she had won several more doubles titles.

First WTA Tour Title (2011–2012)

Irina Begu won both singles and doubles titles at the Copa Bionaire.

Singles Success

Irina continued to improve on the ITF Circuit. In February 2011, she won her first $100k title at the Copa Bionaire. In April, she reached her first WTA Tour final at the Andalucia Tennis Experience. She beat top players like Klára Koukalová and Svetlana Kuznetsova before losing in the final.

At the 2011 French Open, she played in a Grand Slam main draw for the first time. She won her first Grand Slam match there. She reached another WTA final at the Hungarian Open in June 2011. After that, she won the $100k Bucharest event. By July 2011, she was ranked in the top 50 players in the world.

In March 2012, she reached the semifinals of the Mexican Open. In April, she beat Svetlana Kuznetsova again at the Morocco Open. In September 2012, she won her first WTA Tour title in Tashkent. She beat Donna Vekić in the final. She also beat other top players on her way to the title.

Doubles Success

Irina started 2011 well by winning a doubles title in Cali. In June 2011, she won another $100k title in Marseille. She made her Grand Slam doubles debut at 2011 Wimbledon Championships. In July 2011, she won her third $100k title of the year in Bucharest.

In 2012, she won her first WTA Tour doubles title at the Hobart International with Monica Niculescu. They also reached the quarterfinals of the 2012 Australian Open. By January 2012, Irina was ranked in the top 50 in doubles.

Climbing the Rankings (2013–2014)

Singles Journey

Irina Begu at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships

The year 2013 was a bit tougher for Irina. She didn't make much progress and her ranking dropped. However, things changed in 2014. She had to play in the qualifying rounds for the 2014 Australian Open but made it into the main draw.

She reached the quarterfinals of the Rio Open. She also won two $25k ITF events. In May, she reached the semifinals of the Portugal Open, beating two top 50 players. In July, she won the $100k Contrexéville Open. She finished 2014 by reaching the final of the Kremlin Cup. These results helped her climb from outside the top 120 to inside the top 50 by the end of the year.

Doubles: Three WTA Tour Titles

Irina also had some ups and downs in doubles during these years. In June 2013, she won a title at the Rosmalen Championships. This was her first title on grass courts. In February 2014, she won the Rio Open doubles title. She also won two more ITF doubles titles. In September 2014, she won the Korea Open doubles title. Even with some inconsistent results, she stayed in the top 100 in doubles throughout 2013 and 2014.

Reaching Top 30 (2015–2017)

Irina Begu at the 2016 US Open

Singles Achievements

Irina made great progress at the 2015 Australian Open. She reached the fourth round, her best Grand Slam result at that time. She beat top 10 player Angelique Kerber in the first round. A month later, she reached the semifinals of the Rio Open.

She had a strong clay-court season, reaching the quarterfinals of the Charleston Open. At the Madrid Open, she reached her first Premier Mandatory quarterfinal. She also reached the third rounds at the Italian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. In September, she won a WTA title at the Korea Open. In May, she entered the top 30 and later reached a career-high of No. 25.

In 2016, Irina reached the fourth round of the Miami Open. She then made her second straight Madrid Open quarterfinal, beating world No. 4 Garbiñe Muguruza. She reached her first Premier 5 semifinal at the Italian Open, where she beat Victoria Azarenka. At the 2016 French Open, she reached the fourth round again. In August, she won the Brasil Tennis Cup title. Soon after, she reached her career-high singles ranking of No. 22.

In 2017, Irina reached the quarterfinals of the Charleston Open. She also reached the semifinals of the Istanbul Cup. In July 2017, she won the Bucharest Open title without losing a single set. She beat top players like Julia Görges and Carla Suárez Navarro. In October, she reached the semifinals of the Kremlin Cup.

Doubles Achievements

In February 2015, Irina was a runner-up in doubles at the Rio Open. She reached her first Premier Mandatory quarterfinal at the Madrid Open. At the 2015 Wuhan Open, she reached her first Premier 5 final with Monica Niculescu. She finished the season by reaching the final of the Kremlin Cup. After this, she entered the top 30 in doubles.

In 2017, she reached the semifinals of the Madrid Open with Simona Halep. She also reached her first 2017 French Open quarterfinal in doubles. In July 2017, she won the Bucharest Open title. Then, in October, she won the Tianjin Open title. She climbed back into the top 40 in doubles.

Later Career (2018–2020)

Singles Results

Irina had mixed results in these years. She started 2018 by reaching the semifinals of the Shenzhen Open. She then reached the quarterfinals of the Charleston Open and the Istanbul Cup. At the Madrid Open, she beat world No. 5 Jeļena Ostapenko. At the 2018 French Open, she reached the third round.

In early 2019, she reached the quarterfinals of the Hobart International and the Hungarian Open. In May, her ranking dropped outside the top 100 for the first time in a while. She reached the quarterfinals at the Bucharest Open.

In February 2020, Irina won the $100k Cairo Open, which brought her back into the top 100. She continued her good form by winning the WTA 125 Indian Wells Challenger in March. She didn't lose a set in that tournament. In August, she reached the semifinals of the Prague Open.

Doubles Results

Irina started 2018 by winning the Shenzhen Open doubles title with Simona Halep. She did even better at the 2018 Australian Open, reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal in doubles with Monica Niculescu. In late June, she reached the final of the Eastbourne International. At 2018 Wimbledon Championships, she reached the quarterfinals. She then won the Bucharest Open doubles title. In October 2018, she reached her career-high doubles ranking of No. 22.

In February 2019, she and Monica Niculescu won the Thailand Open title.

Major Doubles Semifinal (2021)

In 2021, Irina reached the semifinals of the Italian Open in doubles. At the 2021 French Open, she reached the doubles semifinals again, partnering with Nadia Podoroska.

Fourth Round and New Title (2022)

In January 2022, Irina played at the Melbourne Summer Set 2. She beat the top seed, Jessica Pegula, in the first round. She reached the semifinals in Saint Petersburg, beating several strong players.

At the Miami Open, she beat top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the second round. At the 2022 French Open, she reached the fourth round for the first time since 2016. She won her first title in five years at the Palermo Ladies Open. In September, she won another WTA 125 title at the Țiriac Foundation Trophy.

Reaching Romanian No. 1 (2023–2024)

Irina Begu hitting a forehand at the 2024 Montreux Nestlé Open.

At the 2023 Miami Open, Irina reached the second round in singles and the quarterfinals in doubles.

In May 2023, she reached the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open for the third time. She beat several seeded players. As a result, she became the No. 1 female tennis player from Romania, reaching world No. 27.

In 2024, after a break, she returned to play. At the 2024 Italian Open, she reached the fourth round. At the 2024 French Open, she reached the third round.

Irina won the 2024 Montreux Nestlé Open title. She also won the 2024 WTA 125 Cali Open title. These wins helped her return to the top 100 in the WTA singles rankings.

Representing Romania

Olympic Games

Irina has represented Romania at the Olympic Games. She competed in singles at the London Olympics and the Rio Olympics. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she also played in women's doubles and mixed doubles, reaching the quarterfinals in mixed doubles. She also represented Romania at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Irina Begu at the 2012 Fed Cup.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Performance Timelines

This section shows how Irina-Camelia Begu has performed in the biggest tennis tournaments, called Grand Slams, over the years.

Singles

Doubles

Awards

2011

• WTA Newcomer of the Year

See also

In Spanish: Irina-Camelia Begu para niños