Romanian tennis player
Irina Maria Bara (born 18 March 1995) is a professional tennis player from Romania.[1]
She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 104, achieved on 18 April 2022. On 13 May 2019, she peaked at No. 56 in the WTA doubles rankings. She won her maiden WTA Tour doubles title at the 2021 Transylvania Open , partnering Ekaterine Gorgodze . Bara has also won five doubles titles on the WTA Challenger Tour , with eleven singles and thirty-three doubles titles on the ITF Circuit , most of them on clay.
In singles, she reached a $100k and an $80k finals, three finals at $60k events, but lost all of them, having $25k as her highest category that she won. In doubles, she won a couple of $60k and $80k tournaments, but also won one $100k event, the 2016 Soho Square Tournament in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt.
Bara is better known for her performances in doubles, reaching the top 100. Her most significant result so far is a quarterfinal at the 2018 French Open , partnering with Mihaela Buzărnescu .[2] In 2019, she also reached quarterfinals of the Madrid Open , again with Buzărnescu.[3] In singles, her best result so far is a third round at the 2020 French Open on her Grand Slam singles debut, also her first major singles match win. The highest round she reached in singles is the quarterfinals, at the 2019 Baltic Open ,[4] while in doubles, she reached a couple of semifinals, but never a final. She made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2015 Bucharest Open in the doubles event, partnering Buzărnescu, while her first match in a singles event was two years later, at the same tournament, when she, as a wildcard player, lost in the first round to Aliaksandra Sasnovich .[1]
Career review [ edit ]
2017–19: WTA Tour debut, first quarterfinal & top 200 [ edit ]
Bara at the 2019 French Open
Bara made her WTA Tour debut in singles at the 2017 Bucharest Open , when she lost as a wildcard player in the first round to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.[5]
Her next WTA tournament was also there, in 2018 ; she realized her first WTA Tour singles match-win, defeating Viktoriya Tomova in the first round, and then lost to Polona Hercog .[6] [7] At the 2018 Moscow River Cup , she defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova before she was eliminated by Anastasija Sevastova in the second round.[8]
In 2019, at the Baltic Open in Jūrmala , she reached her first and so far only quarterfinal, where she beat two Russian players, Margarita Gasparyan and Valentina Ivakhnenko , in the first two rounds, before losing to Sevastova.[9] Her other WTA Tour performances that year were unsuccessful, losing in the first round in Acapulco to Beatriz Haddad Maia , in Bogotá to Sara Errani , in İstanbul to fellow Romanian Sorana Cîrstea , in Rabat to Hercog, and finally in Bucharest to Jaimee Fourlis .
On 17 July 2017, Bara entered top 200 for the first time, getting to No. 199. On 2 July 2018, she entered the top 150, reaching No. 150. On 13 August 2018, she rose to No. 139, her highest singles ranking until 2020.[10] Until 2020, Bara was unsuccessful in her attempt to reach a main-draw at any Grand Slam tournament. She failed in qualifying at all four events, in both 2018 and 2019, as well as at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2017.
2020: Grand Slam debut & third round at the French Open [ edit ]
In March, Bara entered the main draw of the Lyon Open , passing through qualifying. In the main draw, she beat Tímea Babos , and then lost to Daria Kasatkina in the second round.[11] [12] In late September, Bara played the qualifying for the French Open , where she qualified for the first time for the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament.[4] The other significant thing there, was that she also recorded her first win, defeating 26th seed Donna Vekić in straight sets. She won in the second round, after the retirement of Alison Van Uytvanck . In the third round against No. 3 seed Sofia Kenin , she won only two games.[13] Two weeks later, Bara reached a new career-high singles ranking, as world No. 115.[10]
2021: First WTA Tour doubles & three more Challenger titles [ edit ]
In May, Bara played her first $100k final in Bonita Springs which she lost to Katie Volynets . She played in the main draw at the French Open , but lost to Astra Sharma . As a result, on 28 June, she reached a new career-high singles ranking of world No. 112.
In September, Irina won her first out of three WTA Challenger titles in the season, partnering with Ekaterine Gorgodze .
In October, Bara won her first WTA Tour title, playing again with Gorgodze at the Transylvania Open in her home country.
2022: Australian Open and Wimbledon debuts, career-high singles ranking [ edit ]
On 18 April 2022, she reached a new career-high ranking of No. 104.
Performance timelines [ edit ]
Key
W
F
SF
QF
#R
RR
Q#
P#
DNQ
A
Z#
PO
G
S
B
NMS
NTI
P
NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record; .
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.
Only main-draw results in WTA Tour , Grand Slam tournaments , Billie Jean King Cup , United Cup , Hopman Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.[14]
Singles [ edit ]
Current after the 2024 Wimbledon qualifying.
Doubles [ edit ]
Current through the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
WTA Tour finals [ edit ]
Doubles: 1 (title) [ edit ]
Finals by surface
Hard (1–0)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
WTA Challenger finals [ edit ]
Doubles: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner-up) [ edit ]
Result
W–L
Date
Tournament
Surface
Partner
Opponents
Score
Win
1–0
Sep 2021
Karlsruhe Open , Germany
Clay
Ekaterine Gorgodze
Katarzyna Piter Mayar Sherif
6–3, 2–6, [10–7]
Win
2–0
Nov 2021
Argentine Open
Clay
Ekaterine Gorgodze
María Lourdes Carlé Despina Papamichail
5–7, 7–5, [10–4]
Win
3–0
Nov 2021
Montevideo Open , Uruguay
Clay
Ekaterine Gorgodze
Carolina Alves Marina Bassols Ribera
6–4, 6–3
Win
4–0
Apr 2022
Marbella Open , Spain
Clay
Ekaterine Gorgodze
Vivian Heisen Katarzyna Kawa
6–4, 3–6, [10–6]
Win
5–0
Nov 2022
Argentine Open (2)
Clay
Sara Errani
Jang Su-jeong You Xiaodi
6–1, 7–5
Loss
5–1
Jul 2023
Iași Open , Romania
Clay
Monica Niculescu
Veronika Erjavec Dalila Jakupović
4–6, 4–6
ITF Circuit finals [ edit ]
Singles: 25 (11 titles, 14 runner–ups) [ edit ]
Legend
W100 tournaments (0–1)
W80 tournaments (0–1)
W60 tournaments (1–5)
W25 tournaments (4–1)
W10 tournaments (6–6)
Finals by surface
Clay (11–14)
Result
W–L
Date
Tournament
Tier
Surface
Opponent
Score
Win
1–0
Jun 2013
ITF Bucharest, Romania
W10
Clay
Laura Ioana Andrei
6–4, 6–4
Win
2–0
Dec 2013
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Clay
Hikari Yamamoto
6–4, 6–1
Loss
2–1
Jul 2014
ITF Galați, Romania
W10
Clay
Patricia Maria Țig
6–7(3) , 6–3, 2–6
Win
3–1
Nov 2014
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Clay
Melis Sezer
6–3, 6–2
Loss
3–2
Nov 2014
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Clay
Kristína Schmiedlová
3–6, 2–6
Win
4–2
Apr 2015
ITF Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy
W10
Clay
Stefania Rubini
6–1, 7–5
Win
5–2
May 2015
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Clay
María Fernanda Álvarez Terán
6–7(3) , 6–1, 6–0
Loss
5–3
Jun 2015
ITF Galați, Romania
W10
Clay
Diana Buzean
3–6, 6–4, 3–6
Loss
5–4
Sep 2015
ITF Varna, Bulgaria
W10
Clay
Isabella Shinikova
6–7(2) , 4–6
Loss
5–5
Mar 2016
ITF Tarragona, Spain
W10
Clay
Joséphine Boualem
6–7(4) , 7–6(1) , 2–6
Loss
5–6
Mar 2016
ITF Hammamet, Tunisia
W10
Clay
Isabella Shinikova
1–6, 6–4, 6–7(2)
Win
6–6
Apr 2016
ITF Hammamet, Tunisia
W10
Clay
Tamara Zidanšek
6–3, 6–3
Win
7–6
Sep 2016
ITF Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary
W25
Clay
Dejana Radanović
7–5, 6–4
Loss
7–7
Apr 2017
ITF Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy
W25
Clay
Giulia Gatto-Monticone
6–3, 5–7, 4–6
Win
8–7
May 2017
ITF Båstad, Sweden
W25
Clay
Kathinka von Deichmann
7–6(6) , 4–6, 6–2
Win
9–7
Nov 2017
Open de Valencia , Spain
W25
Clay
Olga Danilović
5–7, 6–4, 6–0
Loss
9–8
Apr 2018
ITF Indian Harbor Beach , United States
W60
Clay
Caroline Dolehide
4–6, 5–7
Loss
9–9
Jun 2018
Hódmezővásárhely Ladies Open , Hungary
W60
Clay
Mariana Duque Mariño
6–4, 5–7, 2–6
Loss
9–10
Oct 2019
Kiskút Open , Hungary
W60
Clay (i)
Nicoleta Dascălu
5–7, 2–6
Loss
9–11
Sep 2020
Open de Cagnes-sur-Mer , France
W80
Clay
Sara Sorribes Tormo
3–6, 4–6
Loss
9–12
May 2021
ITF Bonita Springs , United States
W100
Clay
Katie Volynets
7–6(4) , 6–7(2) , 1–6
Loss
9–13
Apr 2023
Koper Open , Slovenia
W60
Clay
Aliona Bolsova
6–3, 2–6, 1–4 ret.
Win
10–13
Apr 2023
ITF Istanbul, Turkey
W60
Clay
Berfu Cengiz
6–7(2) , 6–4, 6–1
Loss
10–14
May 2023
Bodrum Tennis Cup, Turkey
W60
Clay
María Lourdes Carlé
4–6, 4–6
Win
11–14
Oct 2023
ITF Heraklion, Greece
W25
Clay
Andreea Mitu
6–2, 6–1
Doubles: 53 (34 titles, 19 runner–ups) [ edit ]
Legend
W100 tournaments (2–1)
W80 tournaments (2–0)
W60 tournaments (6–1)
W40 tournaments (1–1)
W25/35 tournaments (8–6)
W10 tournaments (15–10)
Finals by surface
Hard (2–3)
Clay (32–16)
Result
W–L
Date
Tournament
Tier
Surface
Partner
Opponents
Score
Loss
0–1
Dec 2012
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Clay
Ioana Loredana Roșca
Justine De Sutter Katerina Stewart
5–7, 4–6
Win
1–1
Apr 2013
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Hard
Diana Buzean
Beatriz Haddad Maia Bárbara Luz
7–5, 6–1
Loss
1–2
Apr 2013
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Hard
Diana Buzean
Andrea Benítez Carla Forte
2–6, 4–6
Win
2–2
Jul 2013
ITF Iași, Romania
W10
Clay
Diana Buzean
Anita Husarić Kateryna Sliusar
6–2, 6–1
Win
3–2
Aug 2013
ITF Arad, Romania
W10
Clay
Diana Buzean
Cristina Adamescu Ana Bianca Mihăilă
6–4, 6–3
Win
4–2
Aug 2013
ITF Bucharest, Romania
W10
Clay
Ioana Loredana Roșca
Raluca Elena Platon Patricia Maria Țig
6–4, 6–4
Win
5–2
Oct 2013
ITF Ruse, Bulgaria
W10
Clay
Eva Wacanno
Lina Gjorcheska Camelia Hristea
6–1, 6–2
Win
6–2
Dec 2013
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Clay
Conny Perrin
Gabriela Talabă Patricia Maria Țig
6–3, 6–1
Loss
6–3
Jan 2014
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Clay
Diana Buzean
Sviatlana Pirazhenka Alyona Sotnikova
5–7, 6–1, [7–10]
Loss
6–4
May 2014
ITF Bol, Croatia
W10
Clay
Raluca Elena Platon
Pernilla Mendesova Patricia Maria Țig
w/o
Loss
6–5
Jul 2014
Palić Open , Serbia
W10
Clay
Camelia Hristea
Lina Gjorcheska Elizaveta Ianchuk
4–6, 1–6
Win
7–5
Aug 2014
ITF Arad, Romania
W10
Clay
Diana Buzean
Lina Gjorcheska Camelia Hristea
4–6, 7–5, [10–6]
Win
8–5
Aug 2014
ITF Mamaia, Romania
W25
Clay
Andreea Mitu
Georgia Crăciun Patricia Maria Țig
6–4, 6–1
Win
9–5
Sep 2014
ITF Dobrich, Bulgaria
W25
Clay
Andreea Mitu
Réka Luca Jani Isabella Shinikova
7–5, 7–6
Win
10–5
Nov 2014
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Clay
Melis Sezer
Lisa Ponomar Shakhlo Saidova
w/o
Loss
10–6
Nov 2014
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Clay
Melis Sezer
Valeria Prosperi Arina Folts
6–3, 6–7(4) , [5–10]
Win
11–6
Dec 2014
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Clay
Diana Buzean
Magdalena Stoilkovska Elke Tiel
6–2, 6–4
Loss
11–7
Feb 2015
ITF Palmanova, Spain
W10
Clay
Ágnes Bukta
Amanda Carreras Alice Savoretti
4–6, 1–6
Win
12–7
Feb 2015
ITF Palmanova, Spain
W10
Clay
Ágnes Bukta
Ana Bianca Mihăilă Gabriela Pantůčková
6–1, 6–1
Win
13–7
Feb 2015
ITF Palmanova, Spain
W10
Clay
Ágnes Bukta
Kim Grajdek Akvilė Paražinskaitė
6–2, 6–4
Loss
13–8
Mar 2015
ITF Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy
W10
Clay
Lilla Barzó
Claudia Giovine Kimberley Zimmermann
6–7(4) , 3–6
Win
14–8
Apr 2015
ITF Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy
W10
Clay
Oana Georgeta Simion
Margot Yerolymos Kimberley Zimmermann
7–5, 6–4
Win
15–8
Apr 2015
ITF Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy
W25
Clay
Mihaela Buzărnescu
Corinna Dentoni Claudia Giovine
6–3, 2–6, [10–4]
Loss
15–9
May 2015
ITF Antalya, Turkey
W10
Clay
Tea Faber
Francesca Palmigiano Carla Touly
4–6, 0–6
Loss
15–10
Jun 2015
ITF Galați, Romania
W25
Clay
Diana Buzean
Cristina Dinu Lina Gjorcheska
4–6, 2–6
Win
16–10
Sep 2015
ITF Varna, Bulgaria
W10
Clay
Isabella Shinikova
Julieta Lara Estable Ana Victoria Gobbi Monllau
7–5, 4–6, [10–4]
Win
17–10
Mar 2016
ITF Tarragona, Spain
W10
Clay
Alyona Sotnikova
Georgina García Pérez Olga Sáez Larra
7–5, 3–6, [10–8]
Win
18–10
Apr 2016
ITF Hammamet, Tunisia
W10
Clay
Alice Bacquie
Inès Ibbou Kelia Le Bihan
6–1, 6–0
Loss
18–11
May 2016
ITF Båstad, Sweden
W10
Clay
Melanie Stokke
Emilie Francati Cornelia Lister
2–6, 4–6
Loss
18–12
Jun 2016
ITF Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary
W25
Clay
Lina Gjorcheska
Laura Pigossi Nadia Podoroska
3–6, 0–6
Loss
18–13
Jun 2016
ITF Lenzerheide, Switzerland
W25
Clay
Elyne Boeykens
Tadeja Majerič Aleksandrina Naydenova
5–7, 6–1, [8–10]
Win
19–13
Jul 2016
Bella Cup Toruń , Poland
W25
Clay
Valeria Savinykh
Akgul Amanmuradova Valentina Ivakhnenko
6–3, 4–6, [10–7]
Win
20–13
Aug 2016
ITF Bad Saulgau, Germany
W25
Clay
Oleksandra Korashvili
Nicola Geuer Anna Zaja
7–5, 4–6, [10–4]
Loss
20–14
Sep 2016
ITF Mamaia, Romania
W25
Clay
Mihaela Buzărnescu
Vivien Juhászová Kateřina Kramperová
6–7(3) , 6–2, [7–10]
Loss
20–15
Sep 2016
ITF Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary
W25
Clay
Elena Bogdan
Conny Perrin Chantal Škamlová
4–6, 2–6
Win
21–15
Oct 2016
Soho Square Tournament , Egypt
W100
Hard
Alena Fomina
Guadalupe Pérez Rojas Jil Teichmann
6–2, 6–1
Loss
21–16
Feb 2017
ITF Perth, Australia
W25
Hard
Prarthana Thombare
Junri Namigata Riko Sawayanagi
6–7(5) , 6–4, [9–11]
Win
22–16
Apr 2017
ITF Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy
W25
Clay
Tereza Mrdeža
Sara Cakarevic Nicoleta Dascălu
6–4, 6–2
Win
23–16
May 2017
ITF Dunakeszi, Hungary
W25
Clay
Mihaela Buzărnescu
Daiana Negreanu Oana Georgeta Simion
1–6, 6–1, [10–3]
Win
24–16
Sep 2017
Ladies Open Dunakeszi , Hungary
W60
Clay
Chantal Škamlová
Alexandra Cadanțu Tereza Smitková
7–6(7) , 6–4
Win
25–16
Sep 2017
Open de Biarritz , France
W80
Clay
Mihaela Buzărnescu
Cristina Bucșa Isabelle Wallace
6–3, 6–1
Loss
25–17
Sep 2017
Open de Saint-Malo , France
W60
Clay
Mihaela Buzărnescu
Diāna Marcinkēviča Daniela Seguel
3–6, 3–6
Win
26–17
Apr 2018
ITF Indian Harbor Beach , United States
W60
Clay
Sílvia Soler Espinosa
Jessica Pegula Maria Sanchez
6–4, 6–2
Win
27–17
Sep 2018
Open de Biarritz, France (2)
W80
Clay
Valentina Ivakhnenko
Ysaline Bonaventure Helène Scholsen
6–4, 6–1
Win
28–17
Sep 2019
Open de Valencia , Spain
W60
Clay
Rebeka Masarova
Andrea Gámiz Seone Mendez
6–4, 7–6(2)
Win
29–17
Oct 2019
Kiskút Open , Hungary
W60
Clay (i)
Maryna Zanevska
Akgul Amanmuradova Elena Bogdan
3–6, 6–2, [10–8]
Loss
29–18
Apr 2022
Clay Court Championships , United States
W100
Clay
Lucrezia Stefanini
Sophie Chang Angela Kulikov
4–6, 6–3, [8–10]
Loss
29–19
Mar 2023
Maribor Open , Slovenia
W40
Hard (i)
Andreea Mitu
Sofya Lansere Anastasia Tikhonova
3–6, 2–6
Win
30–19
Apr 2023
Koper Open , Slovenia
W60
Clay
Andreea Mitu
Suzan Lamens Kaylah McPhee
6–2, 6–3
Win
31–19
Sep 2023
Alpstars Open Vienna, Austria
W60
Clay
Weronika Falkowska
Melanie Klaffner Sinja Kraus
6–3, 2–6, [13–11]
Win
32–19
Oct 2023
ITF Heraklion, Greece
W40
Clay
Dalila Jakupović
Oana Gavrilă Sapfo Sakellaridi
3–6, 7–6(6) , [10–8]
Win
33–19
Mar 2024
ITF Nagpur, India
W35
Clay
Dalila Jakupovic
Ku Yeon-woo Justina Mikulskytė
6–7(8) , 7–6(5) , [10–7]
Win
34–19
Jun 2024
Biarritz Open , France
W100
Hard
Andreea Mitu
Estelle Cascino Carole Monnet
6–3, 3–6, [10-7]
Head-to-head record [ edit ]
Record against top 10 players [ edit ]
She has a 0–3 (0%) record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.
^ a b Formerly known as Fed Cup until 2020.
^ a b Edition is split into the two years due to COVID-19.
^ a b The first Premier 5 event of the year has switched back and forth between the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Qatar Ladies Open since 2009. Dubai was classified as a Premier 5 event from 2009 to 2011 before being succeeded by Doha for the 2012–2014 period. In 2015, Dubai regained its Premier 5 status while Doha was demoted to Premier status. The Premier 5 tournaments were reclassified as WTA 1000 tournaments in 2021.
^ 2012: WTA ranking-1018, 2013: WTA ranking-663, 2014: WTA ranking-443, 2015: WTA ranking-337, 2016: WTA ranking-242.
^ 2011: WTA ranking-1165, 2012: WTA ranking-564, 2013: WTA ranking-397, 2014: WTA ranking-288.
References [ edit ]
^ a b admin. "Irina Bara WTA Profile" . WTA . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ Gazeta Sporturilor (June 5, 2018). "ROLAND GARROS // Mihaela Buzărnescu și Irina Bara, eliminate în sferturile de finală ale probei de dublu (in Romanian)" . gsp.ro . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ A.I. (May 9, 2019). "Perechea Irina Bara/Mihaela Buzărnescu, eliminată în sferturi" . hotnews.ro . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ a b Macpherson, Alex (September 25, 2020). "Introducing Roland Garros 2020's Grand Slam debutantes" . WTA . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ admin. "2017 BRD Bucharest Open - Main Draw - Singles" (PDF) . WTA . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ Mastroluca, Alessandro (July 17, 2018). "WTA Bucharest: Vera Zvonareva makes a winning debut, Irina Begu crashes out" . tennis world . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ admin. "2018 BRD Bucharest Open - Main Draw - Singles" (PDF) . WTA . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ WTA Staff (July 26, 2018). "Sevastova holds off lucky loser Bara in Moscow" . WTA . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ WTA Staff (July 26, 2019). "Home favorite Sevastova stops Bara in Jurmala quarterfinal" . WTA . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ a b admin. "Irina Bara's Ranking History" . WTA . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ Radu, Marina (March 2, 2020). "Victories in Lyon: Irina Bara defeats Timea Babos, Jaqueline Cristian confirms the recent jump" . treizecizero.ro . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ Bolat, Leila (March 5, 2020). "Irina Bara a fost eliminată de Kasatkina în turul doi la Lyon (in Romanian)" . news.ro . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ Macpherson, Alex (October 3, 2020). "Kenin brushes past Bara in Roland Garros third round" . WTA . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
^ admin. "Irina Bara" . Australian Open . Retrieved November 7, 2020 .
External links [ edit ]
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Irina Bara .