Romanian tennis player
Irina Spîrlea Country (sports) Romania Residence Rome, Italy Born (1974-03-26 ) 26 March 1974 (age 50) Bucharest , RomaniaHeight 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Turned pro 1990 Retired 2000 Plays Right-handed (one handed-backhand) Prize money US$ 2,652,068 Career record 291–189 Career titles 4 WTA, 3 ITF Highest ranking No. 7 (13 October 1997) Australian Open QF (1997 ) French Open 4R (1994 , 1996 , 1997 ) Wimbledon 4R (1997 , 1998 ) US Open SF (1997 ) Tour Finals SF (1997, 1998) Career record 200–154 Career titles 6 WTA, 5 ITF Highest ranking No. 16 (2 October 1995)
Irina Spîrlea (born 26 March 1974) is a retired tennis player from Romania who turned professional in 1990. She won four singles and six doubles titles. Spîrlea reached her career-high ranking on the WTA Tour on 13 October 1997, when she became No. 7 in the world. She retired in 2000.
Spîrlea married Massimiliano Pace, her former coach, in 2001, and has a son, Tommaso, born in 2002, as well as a younger daughter, Francesca .[ 1] [ 2]
Irina Spîrlea is one of the more successful tennis players from Romania, being one of only three women to have reached the top 10 (the others being Virginia Ruzici and Simona Halep.)[ 3] Her best performance at a Grand Slam tournament was a semifinal at the US Open in 1997. She won the WTA Newcomer of the Year award in 1994.[ 4]
In 1996, Spîrlea became the first player in the history of the Women's Tennis Association to receive a match default for conduct when she swore at an official in Italian during a match played in Palermo, Italy.[ 5] [ 6]
Spîrlea was involved in a bumping incident with Venus Williams during a changeover in the semifinals of the 1997 US Open . Spîrlea collided with Williams near the net post while changing ends, and did not move sideways. Spîrlea went on to lose the match 6–7, 6–4, 6–7 in a third-set tiebreak, after holding two match points, at 6–4 and 6–5 in the tie breaker. Williams' father accused Spîrlea of racism, and later called her "an ugly white turkey".[ 7] Spîrlea accused Williams of arrogance, saying in a press conference following the match, "I'm not going to move. She never tries to turn (...) She thinks she's the fucking Venus Williams."[ 8] [ 9] [ 7] Spîrlea subsequently had to pay $5,000 fine for using an obscenity.[ 10] At the following Grand Slam tournament, the 1998 Australian Open , Spîrlea was the first opponent of Venus' sister, Serena Williams in the main draw and lost in three sets.[ 11]
Singles: 10 (4 titles, 6 runner-ups)[ edit ]
Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
Tier I (0–2)
Tier II (1–0)
Tier III, IV & V (3–4)
Titles by surface
Hard (0–2)
Grass (0–0)
Clay (4–3)
Carpet (0–1)
Result
No.
Date
Tournament
Surface
Opponent
Score
Loss
1.
Sep 1993
Sapporo , Japan
Carpet (i)
Linda Wild
4–6, 3–6
Loss
2.
Apr 1994
Taranto Trophy , Italy
Clay
Julie Halard-Decugis
2–6, 3–6
Win
1.
Jul 1994
Palermo International , Italy
Clay
Brenda Schultz-McCarthy
6–4, 1–6, 7–6(7–5)
Loss
3.
Jan 1995
Jakarta Open , Indonesia
Hard
Sabine Hack
6–2, 6–7(6–8) , 4–6
Win
2.
Jul 1995
Palermo International, Italy
Clay
Sabine Hack
7–6(7–1) , 6–2
Win
3.
Apr 1996
Amelia Island Championships , U.S.
Clay
Mary Pierce
6–7(7–9) , 6–4, 6–3
Loss
4.
Mar 1997
Indian Wells Masters , U.S.
Hard
Lindsay Davenport
2–6, 1–6
Loss
5.
Mar 1998
Family Circle Cup , U.S.
Clay
Amanda Coetzer
3–6, 4–6
Win
4.
May 1998
Internationaux de Strasbourg , France
Clay
Julie Halard-Decugis
7–6(7–5) , 6–3
Loss
6.
Apr 1999
Egypt Classic
Clay
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
1–6, 0–6
Doubles: 13 (6 titles, 7 runner-ups)[ edit ]
Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
Tier I (1–1)
Tier II (2–2)
Tier III, IV & V (3–4)
Titles by surface'
Hard (1–1)
Grass (0–0)
Clay (2–3)
Carpet (3–3)
Result
No.
Date
Tournament
Surface
Partner
Opponents
Score
Win
1.
Apr 1994
Taranto Trophy , Italy
Clay
Noëlle van Lottum
Sandra Cecchini Isabelle Demongeot
6–3, 2–6, 6–1
Win
2.
Jan 1995
Jakarta Open , Indonesia
Hard
Claudia Porwik
Laurence Courtois Nancy Feber
6–2, 6–3
Loss
1
Apr 1995
Bol Ladies Open , Croatia
Clay
Laura Golarsa
Mercedes Paz Rene Simpson
5–7, 2–6
Loss
2.
Jan 1996
Pan Pacific Open , Japan
Carpet (i)
Mariaan de Swardt
Gigi Fernández Natasha Zvereva
6–7(7–9) , 3–6
Win
3.
May 1996
Italian Open
Clay
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Gigi Fernández Martina Hingis
6–4, 3–6, 6–3
Loss
3.
Nov 1996
Bank of the West Classic , U.S.
Carpet (i)
Nathalie Tauziat
Lindsay Davenport Mary Joe Fernández
1–6, 3–6
Loss
4.
May 1997
Madrid Open , Spain
Clay
Inés Gorrochategui
Mary Joe Fernández Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
3–6, 2–6
Loss
5.
Nov 1998
Sparkassen Cup Leipzig , Germany
Carpet (i)
Manon Bollegraf
Elena Likhovtseva Ai Sugiyama
3–6, 7–6(7–2) , 1–6
Loss
6.
Jan 1999
Brisbane International , Australia
Hard
Kristine Kunce
Corina Morariu Larisa Neiland
3–6, 3–6
Win
4.
Feb 1999
Paris Indoor , France
Carpet (i)
Caroline Vis
Elena Likhovtseva Ai Sugiyama
7–5, 3–6, 6–3
Loss
7.
Apr 1999
Egypt Classic
Clay
Caroline Vis
Laurence Courtois Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
7–5, 1–6, 6–7(7–9)
Win
5.
Sep 1999
Luxembourg Open
Carpet (i)
Caroline Vis
Tina Križan Katarina Srebotnik
6–1, 6–2
Win
6.
Oct 1999
Generali Ladies Linz , Austria
Carpet (i)
Caroline Vis
Tina Križan Larisa Neiland
6–4, 6–3
Legend
$100,000 tournaments
$75,000 tournaments
$50,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments
Result
No.
Date
Tournament
Surface
Opponent
Score
Runner-up
1.
24 September 1990
Mali Lošinj, Yugoslavia
Clay
Ruxandra Dragomir
3–6, 1–6
Winner
2.
3 June 1991
Milan, Italy
Clay
Agnès Zugasti
6–4, 7–5
Winner
3.
3 February 1992
Jakarta, Indonesia
Clay
Ann Devries
6–3, 6–2
Winner
4.
14 June 1993
Brindisi, Italy
Clay
Petra Kamstra
6–1, 5–7, 6–3
Result
No.
Date
Tournament
Surface
Partner
Opponents
Score
Runner-up
1.
13 August 1990
Rebecq, Belgium
Clay
Ruxandra Dragomir
Els Callens Caroline Wuillot
4–6, 2–6
Winner
2.
20 August 1990
Koksijde, Belgium
Clay
Ruxandra Dragomir
Erda Crous Lucie Ludvigová
6–1, 2–6, 6–3
Winner
3.
17 September 1990
Rabac, Yugoslavia
Clay
Ruxandra Dragomir
Katarína Studeníková Gabriela Vesela
1–6, 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up
4.
24 September 1990
Mali Lošinj, Yugoslavia
Clay
Anna Mirza
Eva Martincová Zdeňka Málková
1–6, 1–6
Winner
5.
8 October 1990
Bol, Croatia
Clay
Magdalena Feistel
Eva Martincová Zdeňka Málková
4–6, 6–3, 6–1
Runner-up
6.
29 May 1991
Brindisi, Italy
Clay
Katarína Studeníková
Patricia Miller Inés Gorrochategui
1–6, 6–7
Runner-up
7.
29 July 1991
Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany
Clay
Meike Babel
Catarina Bernstein Annika Narbe
4–6, 5–7
Runner-up
8.
12 August 1991
Pisticci, Italy
Hard
Ruxandra Dragomir
Justine Hodder Maja Murić
4–6, 6–3, 3–6
Runner-up
9.
3 February 1992
Jakarta, Indonesia
Clay
Ruxandra Dragomir
Nicole Pratt Angie Woolcock
1–6, 0–6
Winner
10.
28 September 1992
Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Italy
Clay
Ann Devries
Ginevra Mugnaini Andreea Ehritt-Vanc
6–0, 6–0
Runner-up
11.
22 November 1992
Nottingham, United Kingdom
Carpet (i)
Ruxandra Dragomir
Els Callens Elena Pampoulova
6–7(3–7) , 4–6
Winner
12.
30 November 1992
Le Havre, France
Clay
Ruxandra Dragomir
Angela Kerek Sabine Lohmann
6–3, 7–6
Runner-up
13.
14 June 1993
Brindisi, Italy
Clay
Angela Kerek
Lara Bitter Petra Kamstra
5–7, 6–4, 2–6
Key
W
F
SF
QF
#R
RR
Q#
DNQ
A
NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Record against other top players [ edit ]
Spîrlea's win–loss record against certain players who have been ranked world No. 10 or higher is as follows:
Players who have been ranked world No. 1 are in boldface.