Irina-Camelia Begu în prim-plan: forma impresionantă care o aduce din nou în lumina reflectoarelor (Irina-Camelia Begu in the Spotlight: Her Impressive Form Puts Her Back in the Headlines)

Romanian veteran Irina-Camelia Begu returns to home clay this week determined to turn local support into a deep run at the 2025 UniCredit Iași Open, where she opens her campaign today against Japan’s Nao Hibino. At 34, Begu still owns one of the tour’s heaviest kick serves on clay and arrives in Iași buoyed by a spirited grass-court swing that included a three-set Wimbledon win over Kaja Juvan before falling to 2024 runner-up Ekaterina Alexandrova. The Bucharest native has slipped to No. 110 in the WTA rankings after injury setbacks over the winter, yet remains the highest-seeded Romanian in the draw and a sentimental favorite for the local crowd. Hibino, ranked No. 175, split her two previous meetings with Begu back in 2016, but both of those encounters were on hard courts; today’s clash marks their first duel on clay, Begu’s best surface and the one on which she owns three of her four career WTA titles. Keys to the match • Heavy topspin forehand: Begu’s signature shot pins opponents deep and opens the court for her backhand drop-shot. • First-serve percentage: the Romanian wins 71 % of points behind her first delivery on clay this season, an edge she will want to maintain against Hibino’s flat returns. • Nerves of the home favorite: Begu admitted last year that playing in front of friends and family “can give you wings or extra pressure”; an early break could settle her quickly. What’s at stake A first-round victory would move Begu into a potential second-round meeting with fellow Romanian wildcard Miriam Bulgaru, raising the prospect of an all-home showdown that would electrify the Ciric complex stands. With 250 ranking points on the line for the champion, a title run could catapult Begu back inside the top 75 and pave the way for main-draw entry at the US Open without qualifying. Form check Since Roland-Garros, Begu is 6-4 on clay, highlighted by a quarter-final in Rabat where she toppled world No. 42 Martina Trevisan. Hibino, by contrast, is 2-5 on the dirt this year and has yet to beat a top-120 opponent on the surface. Prediction Given Begu’s superior clay pedigree, the vocal home crowd and her recent uptick in confidence, expect the seventh seed to advance in straight sets, setting up a feel-good Romanian storyline for the rest of the week. Fans in Romania can watch live on Digi Sport, while international viewers should tune in to Tennis Channel or WTA TV for full coverage.