Monica Niculescu

Monica Niculescu

Country (sports)  Romania
Residence Bucharest, Romania
Born (1987-09-25) 25 September 1987
Slatina, Romania
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Turned pro May 2002
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money US$ 3,924,412
Singles
Career record 423–281 (60.09%)
Career titles 3 WTA, 18 ITF
Highest ranking No. 28 (27 February 2012)
Current ranking No. 37 (24 October 2016)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open 3R (2011, 2012, 2014)
French Open 2R (2014)
Wimbledon 4R (2015)
US Open 4R (2011)
Doubles
Career record 365–211 (63.37%)
Career titles 7 WTA, 22 ITF
Highest ranking No. 15 (29 August 2015)
Current ranking No. 15 (29 August 2015)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open QF (2012)
French Open QF (2010)
Wimbledon 3R (2009)
US Open 3R (2009, 2010)
Team competitions
Fed Cup 28–16 (63.64%)
Last updated on: 26 March 2016.

Monica Niculescu (born 25 September 1987) is a professional Romanian tennis player. Her highest WTA ranking is no. 28 in singles, reached on February 27, 2012, and no. 16 in doubles, reached on 31 July 2016.[1]

Niculescu was born in Slatina, Romania, but moved to Bucharest when she was four.[2] She is currently coached by Călin Stelian Ciorbagiu.[2]

Tennis career

2002–2005: Junior years

As a junior, Niculescu had the remarkable gift to win quite easily every final she reached. Thus, before reaching the age of 18, she won 11 ITF singles finals, losing only one set:

She also won 8 out of 14 ITF finals played in doubles, as a junior, in most of them having as a partner her older sister Gabriela Niculescu. She played finals in girls'doubles in Roland Garros (2004, paired with Madalinea Gojnea) and twice in Wimbledon (2004 and 2005, paired with Marina Erakovic).

By the end of 2005, now already a senior player, she was no. 271 in the WTA rankings and no.4 in Romania.

2006–2008: Constant progress as a senior, Top 50

Niculescu made her WTA debut in 2006 Istanbul, where she won to then junior Sabine Lisicki but could not pass the 3rd qualification round. In 2007 she continued to play many ITF tournaments, and she also played in qualifications in all 4 Grand Slams and 3 other WTA tournaments, but only in Dubai she reached the main draw. Still, winning several ITF tournaments and gathering many small points, she finished the year 2007 in Top 200.

In 2008, she reached the quarterfinals in Tashkent, and in all 4 Grand Slams she reached the first round, with round 2 reached in Wimbledon. Gathering points constantly on WTA tour, and also including some smaller successes in ITF tournaments, Niculescu was ranked 48th in the World, and 2nd in Romania, at the end of 2008.

2009: Setback and out of Top 100

Niculescu opened the season at the Brisbane International, where she lost to Tsvetana Pironkova in the first round in three sets.[2] She also lost in the first round of the Moorilla Hobart International to Alona Bondarenko. At the 2009 Australian Open, Niculescu beat Katie O'Brien in the first round, 6–4, 6–4, before losing to Sara Errani in the second, 2–6, 3–6. Alongside Sorana Cîrstea, Niculescu was the fourteenth seed in women's doubles; they lost to Nathalie Dechy and Mara Santangelo in the second round, 3–6, 3–6.

In the other 3 Grand Slams, she did not go past round 1 of the main draw. Her best results of the year were quarterfinals in Tashkent and Starsbourg.

At the Open GDF Suez held in Paris, Niculescu defeated Timea Bacsinszky in the first round, before losing to eventual champion Amélie Mauresmo in the second. She then took part in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. She beat Peng Shuai in the first round in three sets, 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, and then lost to world no. 3 Jelena Janković in the second, 3–6, 2–6. Niculescu also partnered Elena Vesnina in doubles, and the two reached the quarterfinals in women's doubles; they lost to Anabel Medina Garrigues and Francesca Schiavone. Niculescu had two consecutive first-round losses, at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California (fell to Anna-Lena Grönefeld) and Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida (fell to Tamira Paszek). Partnering Alisa Kleybanova, she reached the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open, where they lost to Maria Kirilenko and Flavia Pennetta. At the Sony Ericsson Open she partnered Kleybanova again, but they lost to second seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual.

Niculescu withdrew from the Andalucía Tennis Experience and Barcelona Ladies Open due to a forearm injury.[2]

At the end of the year, she had slipped out of Top 100.

2010: Comeback to Top 100, first WTA semifinal

Monica Niculescu at the 2010 US Open

In 2010, Monica started the season in Auckland, coming from qualifying. In the first round, she lost to fifth seed 5 Virginie Razzano, 5–7, 4–6. In doubles, she partnered Ioana Raluca Olaru, and they defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues and Carla Suárez Navarro, 7–5, 7–5. In the second round, they lost to Cara Black and Liezel Huber, 3–6, 2–6.

At the Australian Open, she lost in the first round to Jelena Janković, 4–6, 0–6. In doubles, she partnered Chan Yung-jan and defeated Monique Adamczak and Nicole Kriz, 6–3, 6–1. The pair defeated Alla Kudryavtseva and Ekaterina Makarova in the second round, 6–4, 6–4. In the third round, the lost to sixth seeds Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs, 5–7, 3–6.

Niculescu then played an ITF tournament in Midland, but lost in the first round to Eleni Daniilidou 4–6, 2–6.

In Memphis, she lost in the first round qualifying to Valérie Tétreault. In doubles, she reached the semifinals along with Riza Zalameda, losing to Vania King and Michaëlla Krajicek, 1–6, 4–6.

At Indian Wells, she lost in qualifying to Tamarine Tanasugarn. In doubles, together with Michaëlla Krajicek, she lost in first round to Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Yan Zi, 6–7, 2–6.

In Marbella failed to qualify in singles, but in doubles she partnered Sophie Lefèvre. They defeated Kristina Barrois and Ioana Raluca Olaru in the first round, 6–3, 4–6, [10–7]. However, in the second round, they lost to Virginia Ruano Pascual and Meghann Shaughnessy, 2–6, 4–6.

She made again her best in Tashkent, where she reached her first WTA semifinals but lost to Elena Vesnina.

Although in the first half of the year she was struggling between ranks 100 and 150, by the middle of the year she reached Top 100 again and ended the year as No.82 in the world, and no.2 in Romania.

2011: Consistent game, advance to Top 30

At the 2011 Australian Open, Niculescu defeated Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets, 6–0, 6–3. Facing off against the 32nd seed, Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria, Niculescu cruised through the match winning 6–4, 6–1. In the third round, she lost to the 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, 0–6, 6–7.

Niculescu defeated Patricia Mayr-Achleitner in the first round and compatriot Alexandra Dulgheru in the second round, 6–3, 6–0, to advance to the third round of the 2011 US Open. In defeating Lucie Šafářová, 6–0, 6–1, Niculescu advanced to the fourth round of a Grand Slam singles competition for the first time in her career, where she lost 4–6, 3–6 to unseeded Angelique Kerber.

At the Tier 1 China Open, she shocked the world with a dominating victory over fourth seed Li Na, 6–4, 6–0 in the first round and advanced to the semifinals, where she lost to eventual runner-up, Andrea Petkovic.

She advanced to her first WTA final at the International tournament in Luxembourg, losing to Victoria Azarenka, 2–6, 2–6. En route to the final, she spent many hours on court with a 6–7, 7–5, 7–6 first-round victory over Karin Knapp, a second-round 7–6, 3–6, 6–1 win over Anabel Medina Garrigues, and a 7–5, 4–6, 6–3 win in 3 hours over 2010 finalist Anne Keothavong in the semifinals.

The end of the year found her as No.30 in the World and No.1 in Romania.

2012: Career high, small setback, still top 60

At the Australian Open, Niculescu made it to the third round by defeating Alizé Cornet and Pauline Parmentier, but she was defeated by then–world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, 2–6, 2–6.

She reached quarterfinals in Doha, where she lost to Samantha Stosur.

Her best result was again the WTA final in Luxembourg, lost to Venus Williams.

Although in February Niculescu had reached rank No.28, her career high so far, the inconsistent results during the season made her go down to World No.58 by the end of the year.

2013: Steady position, first WTA title

Aside two WTA semifinals in Shenzhen and Monterrey, Niculescu won her first singles WTA title in Florianópolis.

She played in round 1 of all the Grand Slams, but lost the games constantly.

Yet, winning enough games and points in WTA tournaments, she kept her Top 60 position, finishing the season as No.59 in the WTA rankings.

2014: Second WTA title, Top 50 again

In all, Niculescu had an improving season, reaching round 3 at Australian Open, round 2 at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, quarterfinals in Shenzhen, Hobart and Florianópolis, and semifinals in Bucharest. The best result was her winning the WTA tournament in Guangzhou, as her second WTA title.

Thus she entered Top 50 again by the end of the year.

2015: Tough matches, steady game

Much of early 2015 was particularly difficult for Niculescu, as she often faced difficult draws. For instance she drew world #1 Serena Williams twice in a row in the second round of Indian Wells and Miami. While she managed to test Williams with a 5–7 5–7 score, she was not able to win a set against her in either match. She also suffered first round losses at Shenzen, Hobart, the Australian Open, Dubai, Prague, and the French Open.[2]

Niculescu won the Marseille clay 100K ITF tournament in June. Shortly thereafter, she defeated first-seeded Agnieszka Radwańska 5–7, 6–4, 6–0 at the Aegon Open Nottingham WTA grass tournament to earn a place in the final where she lost to teenager Ana Konjuh 6–1 4–6 2–6. All five matches she played went to three sets. She then lost in the first round at Birmingham to the 10th seed Barbora Strýcová.[2]

Niculescu earned a spot in the fourth round at the Wimbledon Championships for the first time, defeating Mónica Puig 5–7 6–3 6–1 (1st rd.), Jana Čepelová 6–3 6–3 (2nd rd.), and Kristýna Plíšková 6–3 7–5 (3rd rd.). This is the second time she has made it past the third round at a major. Despite winning the first set of her fourth-round match 6-1 and having a positive head-to-head record against the player, she was defeated by 15th-seeded Timea Bacsinszky, who took the next two sets at 7-5 and 6-2. Bacsinszky has seen a dramatic improvement of her results, having recently also made the semifinals at the French Open.[3]

2016: Doubles success

Niculescu reached a career high ranking of 16 in doubles in July. She partnered with Sania Mirza to win in New Haven.[4]

Personal life

Her mother, Cristiana Silvia Niculescu is a pharmaceutical sales representative; her father Mihai Niculescu is an engineer.[2] Niculescu has an older sister, Gabriela, who was a professional tennis player and attended University of Idaho, after transferring from USC after her junior year.[2]

Monica Niculescu cited Martina Hingis and Andre Agassi as her tennis idols.[2] She enjoys shopping, movies, reading, and spending time with her family.[2] Niculescu listed her favourite movie as The Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher.[2]

Significant finals

Premier Mandatory/Premier 5 finals

Doubles: 2 (2 runner-ups)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Runner-up 2015 Wuhan Hard Romania Irina-Camelia Begu Switzerland Martina Hingis
India Sania Mirza
2−6, 3−6
Runner-up 2016 Canada Hard Romania Simona Halep Russia Ekaterina Makarova
Russia Elena Vesnina
3–6, 6–7(5–7)

WTA career finals

Singles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runners-up)

Legend (pre/post 2009)
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0–0)
Tier II / Premier (0–0)
Tier III, IV & V / International (3–4)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up 1. 23 October 2011 BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Hard (i) Belarus Victoria Azarenka 2–6, 2–6
Runner-up 2. 21 October 2012 BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (2) Hard (i) United States Venus Williams 2–6, 3–6
Winner 1. 2 March 2013 Brasil Tennis Cup, Florianópolis, Brazil Hard Russia Olga Puchkova 6–2, 4–6, 6–4
Winner 2. 21 September 2014 Guangzhou International Women's Open, Guangzhou, China Hard France Alizé Cornet 6–4, 6–0
Runner-up 3. 15 June 2015 Aegon Nottingham Open, Nottingham, Great Britain Grass Croatia Ana Konjuh 6–1, 4–6, 2–6
Runner-up 4. 25 September 2016 Korea Open, Seoul, South Korea Hard Spain Lara Arruabarrena 6-0, 2-6, 6-0
Winner 3. 22 October 2016 BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Hard (i) Czech Republic Petra Kvitová 6–4, 6–0

Doubles: 21 (7 titles, 14 runners-up)

Legend (pre/post 2009)
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0–2)
Tier II / Premier (1–4)
Tier III, IV & V / International (6–8)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Runner-up 1. 17 August 2008 Pilot Pen Tennis, New Haven, United States Hard Romania Sorana Cîrstea Czech Republic Květa Peschke
United States Lisa Raymond
6–4, 5–7, [7–10]
Winner 1. 12 July 2009 GDF Suez Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary Clay Russia Alisa Kleybanova Ukraine Alona Bondarenko
Ukraine Kateryna Bondarenko
6–4, 7–6(7–5)
Runner-up 2. 2 August 2009 Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, United States Hard Chinese Taipei Chan Yung-jan United States Serena Williams
United States Venus Williams
1–6, 4–6
Runner-up 3. 16 January 2010 Moorilla Hobart International, Hobart, Australia Hard Chinese Taipei Chan Yung-jan Czech Republic Květa Peschke
Chinese Taipei Chuang Chia-jung
6–3, 3–6, [7–10]
Runner-up 4. 18 July 2010 ECM Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic Clay Hungary Ágnes Szávay Switzerland Timea Bacsinszky
Italy Tathiana Garbin
5–7, 6–7(4–7)
Runner-up 5. 23 July 2011 Baku Cup, Baku, Azerbaijan Hard Kazakhstan Galina Voskoboeva Ukraine Mariya Koryttseva
Belarus Tatiana Poutchek
3–6, 6–2, [8–10]
Winner 2. 14 January 2012 Moorilla Hobart International, Hobart, Australia Hard Romania Irina-Camelia Begu Chinese Taipei Chuang Chia-jung
New Zealand Marina Erakovic
6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–4), [10–5]
Runner-up 6. 22 September 2012 Guangzhou International Women's Open, Guangzhou, China Hard Australia Jarmila Gajdošová Thailand Tamarine Tanasugarn
China Zhang Shuai
6–2, 2–6, [8–10]
Runner-up 7. 21 October 2012 BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Hard (i) Romania Irina-Camelia Begu Czech Republic Andrea Hlaváčková
Czech Republic Lucie Hradecká
3–6, 4–6
Runner-up 8. 22 June 2013 Aegon International, Eastbourne, United Kingdom Grass Czech Republic Klára Koukalová Russia Nadia Petrova
Slovenia Katarina Srebotnik
3-6, 3-6
Winner 3. 4 January 2014 Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China Hard Czech Republic Klára Koukalová Ukraine Lyudmyla Kichenok
Ukraine Nadiia Kichenok
6–3, 6–4
Winner 4. 11 January 2014 Moorilla Hobart International, Hobart, Australia Hard Czech Republic Klára Koukalová United States Lisa Raymond
China Zhang Shuai
6–2, 6–7(5–7), [10–8]
Runner-up 9. 13 April 2014 BNP Paribas Katowice Open, Katowice, Poland Hard (i) Czech Republic Klára Koukalová Ukraine Yuliya Beygelzimer
Ukraine Olga Savchuk
4–6, 7–5, [7–10]
Runner-up 10. 17 January 2015 Moorilla Hobart International, Hobart, Australia Hard Russia Vitalia Diatchenko Netherlands Kiki Bertens
Sweden Johanna Larsson
5–7, 3–6
Runner-up 11. 3 October 2015 Wuhan Open, Wuhan, China Hard Romania Irina-Camelia Begu Switzerland Martina Hingis
India Sania Mirza
2−6, 3−6
Runner-up 12. 24 October 2015 Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia Hard (i) Romania Irina-Camelia Begu Russia Daria Kasatkina
Russia Elena Vesnina
3–6, 7–6(9–7), [5–10]
Winner 5. 9 January 2016 Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China Hard United States Vania King China Xu Yifan
China Zheng Saisai
6−1, 6−4
Winner 6. 24 July 2016 Citi Open, Washington, D.C., United States Hard Belgium Yanina Wickmayer Japan Shuko Aoyama
Japan Risa Ozaki
6–4, 6–3
Runner-up 13. 31 July 2016 Rogers Cup, Montréal, Canada Hard Romania Simona Halep Russia Ekaterina Makarova
Russia Elena Vesnina
3–6, 6–7(5–7)
Winner 7. 27 August 2016 Connecticut Open, New Haven, United States Hard India Sania Mirza Ukraine Kateryna Bondarenko
Chinese Taipei Chuang Chia-jung
7–5, 6–4
Runner-up 14. 22 October 2016 Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Hard (i) Romania Patricia Maria Țig Netherlands Kiki Bertens
Sweden Johanna Larsson
6–4, 5–7, [9–11]

ITF finals (39 titles, 21 runner–up)

Singles (18 titles, 5 runner–up)

Legend
$100,000 tournaments
$75,000 tournaments
$50,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$15,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments
Finals by surface
Hard (9–2)
Clay (9–3)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Outcome No. Datexf Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Winner 1. 12 August 2002 Bucharest, Romania Clay Bulgaria Tsvetana Pironkova 6–1, 7–6(7–4)
Winner 2. 9 April 2003 Cavtat, Croatia Clay Croatia Darija Jurak 6–4, 6–1
Winner 3. 25 August 2003 Timișoara, Romania Clay Spain Veronica Rizhik 6–2, 6–3
Winner 4. 9 February 2004 Albufeira, Portugal Hard Russia Irina Kotkina 6–1, 3–6, 6–0
Winner 5. 16 February 2004 Portimao, Portugal Hard Croatia Nadja Pavic 6–4, 7–6(7–4)
Winner 6. 17 May 2004 Bucharest, Romania Clay Romania Simona Matei 6–2, 6–2
Winner 7. 16 August 2004 Iași, Romania Clay Romania Raluca Olaru 7–6(7–5), 6–0
Winner 8. 15 March 2005 Cairo, Egypt Clay Russia Galina Fokina 6–4, 6–2
Winner 9. 21 March 2005 Ain Alsoukhna, Egypt Clay Slovakia Magdaléna Rybáriková 6–3, 6–4
Winner 10. 9 May 2005 Antalya, Turkey Clay Belarus Ekaterina Dzehalevich 6–2, 6–2
Winner 11. 15 August 2005 Coimbra, Portugal Hard France Aravane Rezaï 6–3, 6–1
Runner-up 1. 3 July 2006 Stuttgart, Germany Clay Ukraine Yevgenia Savranska 6-7(4–7), 5–7
Runner-up 2. 17 July 2006 Darmstadt, Germany Clay Romania Magda Mihalache 0–6, 1–6
Runner-up 3. 8 August 2006 Coimbra, Portugal Hard Republic of Ireland Kelly Liggan 0–6, 6-7(7–9)
Winner 12. 24 September 2007 Granada, Spain Hard Spain María José Martínez Sánchez 6–3, 6–4
Winner 13. 22 October 2007 Istanbul, Turkey Hard (i) Ukraine Oxana Lyubtsova 6–2, 6–0
Winner 14. 5 November 2007 Port Pirie, Australia Hard Chinese Taipei Hwang I-hsuan 6–1, 6–2
Winner 15. 19 November 2007 Mount Gambier, Australia Hard South Korea Ye-Ra Lee 6–3, 6–1
Runner-up 4. 3 November 2008 Krakow, Poland Hard (i) United Kingdom Anne Keothavong 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 3–6
Runner-up 5. 19 July 2010 Petange, Luxembourg Clay France Mathilde Johansson 3–6, 3–6
Winner 16. 19 November 2012 Nantes, France Hard (i) Kazakhstan Yulia Putintseva 6–2, 6–3
Winner 17. 1 June 2015 Marseille, France Clay France Pauline Parmentier 6–2, 7–5
Winner 18. 26 October 2015 Poitiers, France Hard (i) France Pauline Parmentier 7–5, 6–2

Doubles (21–16)

Legend
$100,000 tournaments
$75,000 tournaments
$50,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$15,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments
Finals by surface
Hard (4–3)
Clay (17–13)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Runner-up 1. 12 August 2002 Bucharest, Romania Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Bulgaria Radoslava Topalova
Bulgaria Virginia Trifonova
4–6, 6–3, 3–6
Winner 1. 26 August 2002 Bucharest, Romania Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Czech Republic Iveta Gerlova
Germany Nina Nittinger
6–2, 6–2
Runner-up 2. 10 March 2003 Makarska, Croatia Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Austria Stefanie Haidner
Austria Daniela Klemenschits
6–3, 6–7(7–9), 4–6
Winner 2. 31 March 2003 Makarska, Croatia Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Croatia Darija Jurak
Slovakia Maria Jedlickova
6–2, 6–2
Runner-up 3. 14 April 2003 Dubrovnik, Croatia Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Bosnia and Herzegovina Mervana Jugic-Salkic
Croatia Darija Jurak
2–6, 6–4, 2–6
Runner-up 4. 11 August 2003 Bucharest, Romania Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Russia Anna Bastrikova
Russia Elena Vesnina
4–6, 4–6
Runner-up 5. 11 August 2003 Timișoara, Romania Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Hungary Julia Acs
Russia Vasilisa Davydova
4–6, 3–6
Winner 3. 17 May 2004 Bucharest, Romania Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Romania Lenore Lazaroiu
Romania Andra Savu
6–4, 6–2
Winner 4. 13 July 2004 Bucharest, Romania Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Romania Liana Ungur
United States Iris Ichim
6–4, 6–1
Winner 5. 9 August 2004 Târgu Mureș, Romania Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Romania Simona Matei
Hungary Barbara Pocza
7–5, 6–1
Winner 6. 16 August 2004 Iași, Romania Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Austria Nadine Schlotterer
Czech Republic Eva Valkova
7–5, 6–1
Winner 7. 15 March 2005 Cairo, Egypt Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Ukraine Hanna Andreyeva
Ukraine Valeria Bondarenko
6–2, 6–3
Winner 8. 15 March 2005 Ain El Soukhna, Egypt Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Romania Laura-Ramona Husaru
Germany Sarah Raab
6–1, 6–1
Runner-up 6. 11 April 2005 Civitavecchia, Italy Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Czech Republic Lucie Hradecka
Czech Republic Sandra Zahlavova
4–6, 3–6
Winner 9. 02 May 2005 Antalya, Turkey Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Ukraine Irina Buryachok
Russia Olga Panova
6–3, 6–4
Winner 9. 9 May 2005 Antalya, Turkey Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Czech Republic Renata Kucerkova
Germany Kathrin Woerle-Scheller
6–7, 6–0, 6–0
Runner-up 7. 15 October 2005 Sevilla, Spain Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Italy Sara Errani
Spain María José Martínez Sánchez
2–6, 6–7(5-7)
Runner-up 8. 3 April 2006 Athens, Greece Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Poland Olga Brozda
Estonia Margit Ruutel
6–2, 4–6, 2–6
Winner 10. 09 May 2006 Bucharest, Romania Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Romania Sorana Cirstea
Romania Diana Buzean
6–3, 6–0
Winner 11. 20 June 2006 Bucharest, Romania Clay Romania Gabriela Niculescu Romania Raluca Ciulei
Serbia Neda Kozic
6–2, 6–1
Winner 12. 3 July 2006 Stuttgart, Germany Clay Czech Republic Renata Voráčová Slovakia Eva Fislova
Slovakia Stanislava Hrozenska
6–2, 6–7(4-7), 7–5
Winner 13. 17 July 2006 Darmstadt, Germany Clay Ukraine Yevgenia Savranska Austria Daniela Klemenschits
Austria Sandra Klemenschits
1–6, 6–0, 6–1
Winner 14. 4 September 2006 Mestre, Italy Clay Czech Republic Renata Voráčová Georgia (country) Margalita Chakhnashvili-Ranzinger
Germany Tatjana Maria
6–4, 3–6, 6–4
Winner 14. 2 April 2007 Putignano, Italy Hard Slovenia Andreja Klepač United States Jessica Kirkland
Germany Carmen Klaschka
6–2, 7–5
Runners-up 9. 17 July 2006 Jounieh, Lebanon Clay Romania Madalina Gojnea Belarus Tatiana Poutchek
Belarus Anastasiya Yakimova
7–5, 6–0
Winner 15. 10 July 2007 Darmstadt, Germany Clay Belarus Ekaterina Dzehalevich United States Hilary Barte
Germany Tatjana Priachin
6–4, 7–5
Runners-up 10. 31 July 2007 Bucharest, Romania Clay Belarus Ekaterina Dzehalevich Romania Sorana Cirstea
Romania Ágnes Szatmári
6–0, 4–6, w/o
Runners-up 11. 17 September 2007 Madrid, Spain Clay Ukraine Yevgenia Savranska Spain María José Martínez Sánchez
Spain Arantxa Parra Santonja
6–1, 6–7(4–7)
Runners-up 12. 10 July 2007 Granada, Spain Clay Romania Alexandra Dulgheru Spain Marta Marrero
Spain María José Martínez Sánchez
4–6, 1–6
Winner 16. 19 November 2007 Mount Gambier, Australia Hard Germany Antonia Matic Australia Sophie Ferguson
Australia Trudi Musgrave
5–7, 6–3, [10-8]
Winner 17. 10 December 2007 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Hard New Zealand Marina Eraković Ukraine Yuliana Fedak
Russia Anna Lapushchenkova
7–6(7–1), 6–4
Runners-up 13. 20 October 2008 Poitiers, France Hard (i) Uzbekistan Akgul Amanmuradova Czech Republic Petra Cetkovská
Czech Republic Lucie Šafářová
4–6, 4–6
Runners-up 14. 27 October 2008 Bratislava, Slovakia Hard (i) Uzbekistan Akgul Amanmuradova Czech Republic Andrea Hlaváčková
Czech Republic Lucie Hradecká
6–7(1–7), 1–6
Runners-up 15. 5 July 2010 Biarritz, France Clay Spain Lourdes Domínguez Lino Canada Sharon Fichman
Germany Julia Görges
5–7, 4–6
Winner 18. 19 July 2010 Petange, Luxembourg Clay Canada Sharon Fichman France Sophie Lefèvre
France Laura Thorpe
6–4, 6–2
Runners-up 16. 5 July 2013 Poitiers, France Hard (i) United States Christina McHale Czech Republic Lucie Hradecká
Netherlands Michaëlla Krajicek
6–7(5–7), 6–2
Winner 19. 5 July 2013 Poitiers, France Hard (i) Romania Cristina-Andreea Mitu France Stéphanie Foretz
France Amandine Hesse
6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–2), [10–8]

Singles performance timeline

Updated up to 2016 French Open.

Tournament20062007200820092010201120122013201420152016W–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open A A 1R 2R 1R 3R 3R 1R 3R 1R 2R 8–9
French Open A A 1R 1R Q3 1R 1R 1R 2R 1R 1R 1–8
Wimbledon A A 2R 1R 2R 2R 1R 1R 1R 4R 2R 7–9
US Open A A 1R 1R 1R 4R 1R 1R 2R 2R 3R 7–9
Win–Loss 0-0 0-0 1–4 1–4 1–3 6–4 2–4 0–4 4−4 4−4 4−4 23–35
Year-End Championship
WTA Tour Championships Did Not Qualify 0–0
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics Not Held A Not Held A Not Held 0–0
WTA Premier Mandatory Tournaments
Indian Wells A A A 1R LQ 2R 2R 2R 2R 2R 3R 5–7
Miami A A A 1R A 2R 2R 1R 1R 2R 4R 5–7
Madrid Not Held 1R A 1R 1R 1R 1R LQ 1R 0–6
Beijing Not Tier I A A SF 2R 2R 1R 1R 6–5
WTA Premier 5 Tournaments
Doha Not Tier I A Not Held NP5 QF 2R 3R NP5 3R 8–4
Rome A A 2R 1R A A 1R 1R LQ LQ 1R 1–5
Canada A A 2R 1R 1R LQ Absent 2–3
Cincinnati Not Tier I A 2R 1R A LQ LQ Q1 1–2
Wuhan Not Held A 0-0
Dubai Not Tier I 2R A LQ Not Premier 5 1R NP5 1–2
Tokyo Absent 1R A NP5 0–1
Year-End ranking 222 197 47 101 83 30 58 59 46 39

Doubles performance timeline

Updated up to 2016 Internazionali BNL d'Italia

Tournament20062007200820092010201120122013201420152016W-L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open Absent 2R 3R 2R QF 3R 2R 2R 1R 11–8
French Open Absent 2R 3R QF 3R 2R 3R 2R 1R A 12–8
Wimbledon Absent 2R 3R 2R 2R 2R 1R 2R 2R 1R 8–9
US Open Absent 2R 3R 3R 1R 1R 1R 2R 2R 3R 9–9
Win–Loss 0-0 0-0 3–3 7–4 8–4 4–4 5–4 4–4 4-4 3–4 2–3 40–34
Year-End Championship
WTA Tour Championships Did Not Qualify 0–0
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics Not Held A Not Held A Not Held 0–0
WTA Premier Mandatory Tournaments
Indian Wells Absent QF 1R 1R 2R 1R 1R 2R 2R 5–8
Miami Absent 1R 2R 2R SF 1R 2R QF SF 12–8
Madrid NH NH NH 2R A 1R 2R A 2R 1R 3–5
Beijing Tier Tier Tier Absent 1R 1R Absent 1R 0–3
WTA Premier 5 Tournaments
Dubai Not Premier 5 QF A 2R Not Premier 5 QF NP5 5–3
Doha Absent QF Not Held NP5 1R Absent NP5 2R 3–3
Rome Absent 1R QF 2R 2R SF 7–5
Cincinnati Absent 1R SF QF 1R A 1R 1R 1R 5–7
Montreal/Toronto Absent 1R 1R SF 2R Absent 4–4
Tokyo Absent 1R A NP5 0–1
Wuhan Not Held 1R F 3-2
Year-End ranking 159 131 35 30 30 50 27 70 38 33

WTA Tour career earnings

YearGrand Slam
singles titles
WTA
singles titles
Total
singles titles
Earnings ($)Money list rank
2003 0 0 0 6,343 493
2004 0 0 0 9,073 433
2005 0 0 0 ? ?
2006 0 0 0 ? ?
2007 0 0 0 ? ?
2008 0 0 0 249,035 67
2009 0 0 0 315,414 67
2010 0 0 0 251,188 77
2011 0 0 0 549,493 38
2012 0 0 0 450,393 45
2013 0 1 1 406,372 62
2014 0 1 1 582,694 44
2015 0 0 0 667,180 ?
2016* 0 0 0 335,909 37
Career* 0 2 2 3,480,360 97

*As of May 23, 2016

Record against other players

Niculescu's win-loss record against certain players who have been ranked World No. 10 or higher is as follows:

Player Record Win % Hard Clay Grass Last Match
Number 1 ranked players
Belarus Victoria Azarenka 0–5 0% 0–4 0–1 0–0 Loss (1–6, 4–6) at 2013 Australian Open
Belgium Kim Clijsters 0–1 0% 0–0 0–0 0–1 Loss (5–7, 5–7) at 2011 's-Hertogenbosch
Serbia Ana Ivanovic 0–2 0% 0–1 0–1 0–0 Loss (5–7, 3–6) at 2012 Linz
Serbia Jelena Janković 2–5 29% 2–4 0–1 0–0 Won (3-6, 6–4, 7-5) at 2016 Doha
France Amélie Mauresmo 0–1 0% 0–1 0–0 0–0 Loss (1–6, 2–6) at 2009 Paris
United States Serena Williams 0–2 0% 0–2 0–0 0–0 Loss (4–6, 1–6) at 2015 Miami
United States Venus Williams 0–1 0% 0–1 0–0 0–0 Loss (2–6, 3–6) at 2012 Luxembourg
Denmark Caroline Wozniacki 0–6 0% 0–6 0–0 0–0 Loss (3–6, 1–6) at 2013 Luxembourg
Number 2 ranked players
Romania Simona Halep 0–2 0% 0–0 0–2 0–0 Loss (2–6, 6–4, 1–6) at 2014 Bucharest
Germany Angelique Kerber 1–3 25% 1–3 0–0 0–0 Loss (6–0, 1–6, 2-6) at 2013 Linz
Czech Republic Petra Kvitová 1–2 33% 1–0 0–1 0–1 Loss (6–2, 6–7(5–7), 2-6) at 2016 Stuttgart
China Na Li 1–1 50% 1–1 0–0 0–0 Loss (5–7, 6–4, 4–6 ) at 2012 Shenzhen
Poland Agnieszka Radwańska 1–4 20% 0–4 0–0 1–0 Loss (1–6, 5–7) at 2016 Montréal
Russia Vera Zvonareva 1–1 50% 1–1 0–0 0–0 Won (7–5, 3–2 RET) at 2012 Doha
Number 3 ranked players
Number 4 ranked players
Japan Kimiko Date-Krumm 1–1 50% 1–1 0–0 0–0 Won (6–2, 2–1 RET) at 2013 Monterrey
Italy Francesca Schiavone 0–4 0% 0–3 0–1 0–0 Loss (3–6, 5–7) at 2012 Stuttgart
Australia Samantha Stosur 0–7 0% 0–7 0–0 0–0 Loss (3–6, 2–6) at 2015 Beijing
Number 5 ranked players
Russia Anna Chakvetadze 1–1 50% 1–1 0–0 0–0 Loss (0–6, 4–6) at 2012 Hobart
Italy Sara Errani 1–4 20% 1–2 0–2 0–0 Loss (7–5, 1–6, 2-6) at 2015 Bucharest
Slovakia Daniela Hantuchová 1–0 100% 1–0 0–0 0–0 Won (6–1, 6–3) at 2012 Luxembourg
Czech Republic Lucie Šafářová 2–0 100% 2–0 0–0 0–0 Won (6–2, 6–0) at 2012 Beijing
Number 6 ranked players
Italy Flavia Pennetta 0–3 0% 0–2 0–0 0–1 Loss (1–6, 4–6) at 2015 US Open
Spain Carla Suárez Navarro 0–5 0% 0–4 0–1 0–0 Loss (7-5, 3-6, 4–6) at 2015 Wuhan
Number 7 ranked players
France Marion Bartoli 0–1 0% 0–1 0–0 0–0 Loss (6-2, 3–6, 2–6) at 2011 Indian Wells
Czech Republic Karolína Plíšková 2–1 67% 2–1 0–0 0–0 Loss (4-6, 6–4, 3–6) at 2016 Fed Cup
Switzerland Patty Schnyder 0–1 0% 0–1 0–0 0–0 Loss (1-6, 5–7) at 2008 Montréal
Italy Roberta Vinci 0–1 0% 0–0 0–0 0–1 Loss (3–6, 7–6(7–4), 0-6) at 2012 's-Hertogenbosch
Number 8 ranked players
Russia Ekaterina Makarova 1–4 20% 0–3 1–1 0–0 Loss (7-5, 6-7(3–7), 3-6) at 2014 Indian Wells
Australia Alicia Molik 0–1 0% 0–0 0–1 0–0 Loss (6-4, 6-7(5–7), 0-6) at 2010 Barcelona
Number 9 ranked players
Switzerland Timea Bacsinszky 4–3 57% 2–0 2–1 0–2 Loss (6-4, 2-6, 1-6) at 2016 Wimbledon
United States Madison Keys 1–0 100% 1–0 0–0 0–0 Won (6–1, 2–6, 7-6(8–6)) at 2013 Washington
Germany Andrea Petkovic 2–3 40% 0–2 2–1 0–0 Loss (6-0, 6-7(1–7), 3-6) at 2016 Fed Cup
Number 10 ranked players
Slovakia Dominika Cibulková 0–1 0% 0–1 0–0 0–0 Loss (4–6, 3-6) at 2008 Los Angeles
Russia Maria Kirilenko 2–2 50% 2–2 0–0 0–0 Loss (3-6, 0-6) at 2012 Dubai
Total 25–79 24.04% 19–59 5–14 1–6

Top 10 wins per season

Season 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Total
Wins 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 3
# Player Rank Event Surface Round Score
2011
1. China Li Na No. 5 Beijing, China Hard 1st Round 6–4, 6–0
2012
2. Russia Vera Zvonareva No. 8 Doha, Qatar Hard 2nd Round 7–5, 3–2 ret.
2016
3. Czech Republic Petra Kvitová No. 9 Fed Cup, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Hard (i) RR 6–3, 6–4

References

External links

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