Monica Niculescu

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Monica Niculescu
Niculescu US16 (17) (29827657216).jpg
Niculescu at the 2016 US Open
Country (sports) Romania
ResidenceBucharest, Romania
Born (1987-09-25) 25 September 1987 (age 34)
Slatina, Romania
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Turned proMay 2002
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed both sides)
CoachCălin Stelian Ciorbagiu
Prize moneyUS$ 6,525,428
Singles
Career record530–367 (59.1%)
Career titles3
Highest rankingNo. 28 (27 February 2012)
Current rankingNo. 270 (13 December 2021)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (2011, 2012, 2014)
French Open2R (2014)
Wimbledon4R (2015)
US Open4R (2011)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games2R (2016)
Doubles
Career record479–281 (63.0%)
Career titles10
Highest rankingNo. 11 (2 April 2018)
Current rankingNo. 39 (13 December 2021)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenSF (2018)
French OpenQF (2010)
WimbledonF (2017)
US OpenQF (2021)
Team competitions
Fed CupSF (2019) -
31–21 (59.6%)
Last updated on: 13 December 2021.

Monica Niculescu (born 25 September 1987) is a Romanian professional tennis player. She has been ranked by the Women's Tennis Association as high as 28th in singles and 11th in doubles. Niculescu has won several titles in tennis tournaments: three singles and ten doubles titles in the WTA Tour, one singles and one doubles title at WTA 125 tournaments, as well as 19 singles and 22 doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit.

She enjoyed relative success in singles tennis, ranking within the top 30s for several years, but her best achievements are in doubles. Niculescu made the Grand Slam doubles final at the Wimbledon 2017 tournament, together with Chan Hao-ching. She also managed to reach at least the quarterfinals in all other Grand Slams in doubles tennis. She enjoyed success in the WTA 1000[a] tournaments, getting into three finals (doubles), six semifinals (5 doubles), and 12 quarterfinals (11 doubles). Of her singles results, reaching the 4th round is her best Grand Slam result (2011 US Open and 2015 Wimbledon Championships).

Early life[]

Niculescu was born in Slatina, Romania, but moved to Bucharest when she was four. Her mother, Cristiana Silvia Niculescu, is a pharmaceutical sales representative, while her father Mihai Niculescu is an engineer. She has an older sister, Gabriela, who was also a professional tennis player.[1]

Junior career[]

Before reaching the age of 18, Niculescu had won 11 singles finals in the ITF Junior Circuit, losing only one set:

  • Bucharest (Aug 2002), 6–1, 7–6 against Tsvetana Pironkova
  • Cavtat (Apr 2003) 6–4, 6–1 against Darija Jurak
  • Timişoara (Aug 2003) 6–2, 6–3 against Veronika Rizhik
  • Albufeira (Feb 2004) 6–1, 3–6, 6–0 against Irina Kotkina
  • Portimão (Feb 2004) 6–4, 7–6 against Nadja Pavić
  • Bucharest (May 2004) 6–2, 6–2 against Simona Matei
  • Iași (Aug 2004) 7–6, 6–0 against Raluca Olaru
  • Cairo (Mar 2005) 6–4, 6–2 against Galina Fokina
  • Ain Alsoukhna (Mar 2005) 6–3, 6–4 against Magdaléna Rybáriková
  • Antalya (May 2005) 6–2, 6–2 against Ekaterina Dzehalevich
  • Coimbra (Aug 2005) 6–3, 6–1 against Aravane Rezaï.

She also won eight out of fourteen doubles, most of them paired with her sister, Gabriela Niculescu. She reached the finals in girls' doubles in the French Open (2004, paired with Mădălina Gojnea) and twice in Wimbledon (2004 and 2005, paired with Marina Erakovic).

Professional career[]

2007–08: Constant progress as a senior, first WTA doubles final, top 50 on the both rankings[]

Niculescu at the 2008 French Open

Niculescu had her first WTA Tour debuting attempt in May 2006 at the Istanbul Cup but lost in the qualifying. In February of the following year, she made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the Dubai Tennis Championships. In June 2007, she played her first doubles event at the Barcelona Open. There she also recorded her first win in doubles at the WTA Tour. A month later, she managed to get to her first WTA semifinal. That was at the Gastein Ladies in doubles event. During the year she also attempted to made her Grand Slam debut but lost in the qualifying of all four of them. She finished the year 2007 in top 200.

Niculescu continued with making progress during the season of 2008. At the Australian Open, she played her first Grand Slam main-draw, where she get as a qualifier. A month later, at the Qatar Open, she made her Tier I debut and also recorded her first win on the WTA Tour in singles event. She continued with making debuts at the tournaments such as Grand Slams French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, Tier Is Italian Open and Canadian Open. Thing got similar with doubles events. However, there she managed to get to her first WTA final at the Connecticut Open alongside her compatriot Sorana Cîrstea but they failed to with the trophy. Due to all success she managed to achieve during the season, Niculescu finished year inside top 50 in both singles and doubles. In singles, she was ranked world No. 48, and second in Romania, at the end of 2008.

2009: Enhancement in doubles; first WTA doubles title[]

Niculescu at the 2009 US Open

Despite progress in the previous seasons, opening of the season was not promising for Niculescu. In May 2009, she reached her first singles quarterfinal at the Internationaux de Strasbourg. To get there, she needed to win two hard matches, both played in the three-sets. In the quarterfinal match, she lost to Aravane Rezaï. Her next quarterfinal appearance was four month later, at the Tashkent Open. She advanced to the quarterfinal after beating two non top 100 players before losing to top 60 Yaroslava Shvedova. Due to weak performances, Niculescu fall outside the top 100 at the end of the year, getting to the place of 103.

Niculescu more shined in the doubles. In February, she reached semifinal of the Premier Open GDF Suez but then withdraw alongside Cîrstea. The following two tournaments past as a successful as well. First, she reached two back-to-back Premier 5/Mandatory quarterfinals at the Dubai tennis Championships and then Indian Wells Open. Her journey continued with two consecutive Grand Slam third-rounds - French Open and Wimbledon. Next step was also her first WTA Tour doubles title, the Budapest Grand Prix. She won title alongside Alisa Kleybanova. Three weeks later, she advanced to the another final at the Bank of the West Classic but failed to win the trophy. Soon after, she reached her first Premier 5/Premier Mandatory semifinal at the Cincinnati Open alongside Akgul Amanmuradova. By the end of the year, she reached third round of the US Open and semifinals of the International-level Tashkent Open and Premier-level Kremlin Cup. Thanks to great performances, she finished as a world No. 30 at the end of 2009.

2010: First Grand Slam QF in doubles[]

Niculescu at the 2010 US Open

Niculescu struggled to find her form during the most of the season. First sign of good game came in late September, where she reached semifinal of the Tashkent Open. In the quarterfinal she beat her compatriot and top 30 player Alexandra Dulgheru. In the semifinal she lost to Elena Vesnina. During the year, she recorded only one Grand Slam win at Wimbledon, defeating Gisela Dulko in the first round. At the Premier 5/Premier Mandatory she also scored only one win. This was at the Cincinnati Open, where she defeated Sabine Lisicki, letting her opponent only three games. Despite the lack of significant results, Niculescu returned to the top 100 in August and stayed there for the rest of the season.

She had success in early season in doubles, reaching final of the Hobart International in the second week of a year. At the French Open, she reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in either of the events. In July, she played another season final at the Prague Open but once again finished as a runner-up. The following week, she won the $100K Pétange tournament as a part of ITF Circuit. Next step was American Tour. She had promosing start with advancing to the quarterfinal of the Canadian Open. She followed up this win semifinal of the Cincinnati Open and third round of the US Open.

2011: Singles breakthrough, top 30[]

Niculescu at the 2011 Fed Cup

At the Australian Open, Niculescu advanced to her first Grand Slam third round in singles. In the first round, she defeated top 50 player, Timea Bacsinszky, in straight sets. Facing off then against Tsvetana Pironkova, the 32nd seed, Niculescu cruised through the match after losing only five games. In the third round, she lost to the Grand Slam champion and top 10 Francesca Schiavone. In April, she reached her first semifinal of the year at the Estoril Open. To get there, among her wins, she needed to defeat two top-40 players. She lost her semifinal match to Anabel Medina Garrigues.

Her most outstanding performance to date was at the 2011 US Open. For the first time, she reached Grand Slam round of 16, after making three convinced wins. After defeating top 100 Patricia Mayr-Achleitner in the straight-sets in the first round, Niculescu had less problems with following two opponents. In the second round, she let top 50 Dulgheru to win three games, while in the third round she lost only one game to top 30 Lucie Šafářová.[2] She failed to reached her first singles Grand Slam quarterfinal after losing to Angelique Kerber in the straight-sets.[3]

Niculescu continued with progress after the US Open. At the China Open, she started well with a victory over top 10 Li Na.[4] She then defeated top 50 Chanelle Scheepers with losing only three games. Her matches in the third round and quarterfinal were more difficult. In both situation, she made a turnover after losing first set. In the semifinal she faced No. 11 Andrea Petkovic but won only two games. Niculescu then finished year with another WTA final at the Luxembourg Open, but once again finished as a runner-up. In the final, she lost to No. 3 Victoria Azarenka. Right after that, in late October, she made her debut inside the top 30. She finished year as a No. 30 and Romanian No. 1 player.

During the year, her doubles performance were weaker than in the previous seasons. She had solid opening of the year, reaching semifinal of the Brisbane International in the first week of the year. However, her results then started to weak, getting to another semifinal in early April at the Andalucia Tennis Experience. Her best Grand Slam result of the year was third round of the French Open. She reached only one WTA final at the Baku Cup in July 2011.

2012–14: Good moments in singles and doubles, first WTA singles title, second Grand Slam doubles QF[]

Singles[]

Niculescu at the 2014 Nürnberger Versicherungscup

These three seasons were marked by mixed results in both singles and doubles events. However, there were some good moments when she stood out. In February 2012, she reached quarterfinal of the Qatar Open in singles event. Biggest focus was on the second round victory over top 10 Vera Zvonareva. It was second career top-10 win for Niculescu. Until October 2012, she struggled with results losing in the early round at the all tournaments. She then jumped to the final of the Luxembourg Open for the second year in-a-row, after making four consecutive straight-sets wins. She still was not lucky to win her first WTA singles title, losing to Venus Williams in the final match. Next two weeks, she played at the ITF Circuit as her last two singles tournaments of the year. First week, she reached semifinal of the $100K Poitiers tournaments, followed up then with title at the $50K+H Open Nantes tournaments. In the final, she defeated Yulia Putintseva.

Niculescu started season of 2013 with the semifinal of the Shenzhen Open. It was first time for her to make a significant result in the opening round. Right after that, she came to Australia to play at the Hobart International where she advanced to the quarterfinal. In early March, she won her first WTA singles title at the Brasil Tennis Cup in Florianópolis. She won title after defeating Olga Puchkova.[5] A month later, she get to the another semifinal at the Monterrey Open. By the end of the year, she reached only one WTA quarterfinal at the Citi Open in Washington. During the year, she losing in the first round of the all Grand Slams.

For the second year in-a-row, Niculescu had a solid start. She started year with a two back-to-back quarterfinals of the Shenzhen Open and Hobart International. At the Australian Open, she reached third round, after defeating No. 15 Lisicki in the three sets. It was first singles Grand Slam win for Niculescu, after making 7 consecutive Grand Slam first round losses. In July, she reached semifinal of the Bucharest Open but then lost to her compatriot and No. 3 Simona Halep.[6] In September, she won her second career singles WTA title at the Guangzhou Open. Niculescu was convinced during whole tournaments, winning all matches in the straight-sets and defeating No. 22 Alizé Cornet in the final.

Doubles[]

Niculescu (left) alongside Koukalová (right) at the Katowice Open where they finished as a runner-ups

Niculescu left her marks during the all three seasons. She started strong in January 2012 with winning title at the Hobart International. The following week, she reached her second career Grand Slam quarterfinal in doubles at the Australian Open. In March 2012, she reached semifinal of the Premier Mandatory Miami Open. It was her first at least quarterfinal of the Premier 5/Premier Mandatory tournaments after winning semifinal at the 2010 Canadian Open. In September 2012, she get to the final of the Guangzhou Open but finished as a runner-up. A month later, she finished as another runner-up, this time at the Luxembourg Open.

First half of the 2013 was marked with poorly results. Her first significant result came at the Italian Open where she finished as a quarterfinalist. In that manner, she achieved at least one quarterfinal on both surfaces (hard and clay) at the Premier 5/Premier Mandatory tournaments. It also was her eight Premier 5/Premier Mandatory at least quarterfinal. In June, she reached final of the Eastbourne International. Despite losing in the final match, she had accomplished at least one final at the all three surfaces (hard, clay and grass).

Starting of the 2014 season was the strong to date for Niculescu. She started year with the two back-to-back titles at the Shenzhen Open and Hobart International. At the Qatar Open, she reached her ninth Premier 5/Premier Mandatory quarterfinal. In April, she advanced to the another WTA final at the Katowice Open but failed to win the trophy. During the year, she also reached two Premier semifinals at the Open GdF Suez in late January and at the Connecticut Open in August.

2015: Tough matches, steady game, first Premier 5 final in doubles[]

Niculescu at the 2015 French Open

First half of the year was heavy for Niculescu. She also was confronted with difficult draws. For instance, she drew world No. 1, Serena Williams, twice in a row in the second round of Indian Wells and Miami. While she managed to test Williams in Indian Wells with a 5–7, 5–7 score,[7] she was not able to win a set against her in either match. At the French Open she had another difficult job, facing No. 8 Carla Suárez Navarro in the opening round. She lost match after winning only four games. She made improvement at the $100K Marseille tournament in early June, when she won the ITF title. She then return to the WTA Tour, with a strong performance at the Nottingham Open. She get to the final after defeating No. 13 Agnieszka Radwańska. In the final she lost to Ana Konjuh after three sets.[8] At Wimbledon, she reached round of 16 and lost to No. 15 Bacsinszky. Next two tournaments were solid for Niculescu: First, she played in the semifinal of the Bucharest Open, followed up then with the quarterfinal of the Citi Open. In late September, she advanced to her last quarterfinal of the year, at the Guangzhou Open.

Like in a singles, she had steady game in doubles during the whole year. In January, at the Hobart International, she came to the final. A month later, she reached quarterfinal of the Premier 5 Dubai Championships. Soon after, she achievied another Premier 5/Premier Mandatory quarterfinal at the Miami Open. In early October, she went further. At the Wuhan Open, she advanced to the final as her first Premier 5/Premier Mandatory final. Alongside fellow Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu, she finished as a runner-up, after losing to Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. She finished year with the Premier Kremlin Cup final and title at the $100K Poitiers tournament.

2016: Doubles success, top 20 in doubles, Olympics debut[]

Niculescu at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships

Niculescu started year with the title at the Shenzhen Open in doubles event. She drew attention to the singles at the Qatar Open. Despite reaching only third round, she beat No. 31 Lisicki in the first round, followed up then with win over former No. 1 Jelena Janković. In the third round she had hard job facing No. 3 Radwańska. She lost match in the straght-sets.[9] At the Miami Open, she had prosperous two weeks in both events. As a 32nd seed in singles, she omit first round and had a lower ranked player in the next round. In the third round, she faced top 40 CoCo Vandeweghe, letting her win only 5 games. Despite losing to No. 23 Johanna Konta in the fourth round, it was her first Premier 5/Premier Mandatory in that stage of competition since 2012 Qatar Open. In doubles, she reached semifinal as her 12th Premier 5/Premier Mandatory quarterfinal and fourth semifinal. Her doubles journey continued with reaching another semifinal from the same category at the Italian Open.[10]

In late July, she won her 6th doubles WTA title at the Washington Open. A week later, she won in the another final, this time at the Premier 5 Canadian Open. For the second time in her career, she failed to win title from the mentioned category. On the first next ranking, she reached a to date highest doubles ranking of 16 place. She then made her debut at the Olympics Games. In the singles, she advanced in the second round, after defeating Verónica Cepede Royg but then was forced to withdraw. In doubles she lost in the first round. Her American Tour past successfully. She started with the quarterfinal of the Cincinnati Open. Alongside Mirza, she then won title at the Connecticut Open as her 7th career doubles title and first from the Premier category.[11] After not winning any quarterfinal in singles since the begging of the year, she made a progress at the Korea Open. In the first fourth rounds, she was sured with her games with winning all matches in the straight-sets. In the final, she lost to Lara Arrubarrena after three sets.[12] A month later, she won her third career singles WTA title at the Luxembourg Open after beating Petra Kvitová.[13] There she also reached final in doubles.

2017–18: Wimbledon final and Australian Open semifinal in doubles, No. 11 in doubles[]

Niculescu at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships when she reached her first Grand Slam doubles final

At the 2017 Hobart International, she made it to the final and lost to Elise Mertens, in straight sets.[14] In April, she won doubles event at the Ladies Open Biel-Bienne alongside Hsieh Su-wei. At Wimbledon, alongside Chan Hao-ching, she finished as a runner-up after losing to Ekaterina Makarova and Vesnina.[15] In August, she advanced to the quarterfinal of the Citi Open in Washington but then lost to Julia Görges.[16] At the Cincinnati Open, she reached semifinal in doubles event alongside Hsieh. They lost to Hingis-Latisha Chan. At the US Open, she reached third round where she lost to Jennifer Brady.[17] She won the WTA 125 event at Limoges, on 12 November.[18]

Her 2018 season started with playing at the Hobart International. She advanced to the quarterfinals after two wins but then was forced to withdraw.[19] Despite losing in the first round of the singles event at the Australian Open, she managed to reach semifinals in doubles, partnering with Begu. Next, she advanced to another quarterfinal at the Taiwan Open but lost to Lisicki, in three sets. She then performanced at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open when she beat Maria Sharapova in the first round,[20] followed up with a win over Magdaléna Rybáriková. In the following round, she lost to Caroline Wozniacki. A month later, she reached another WTA 1000 third round, this time at the Miami Open. On her way she needed to defeat Putintseva and get another win over Rybáriková. In the third round, she was forced to retired during the third set against Sloane Stephens.[21] Her results then start to weaken. Some of her results include first round of Wimbledon, Canadian Open, US Open and Wuhan Open. On the 2 April 2018, she reached a career-high doubles ranking of 11.

2019–21: Dropping in singles, completed Grand Slam quarterfinals in doubles[]

Niculescu at the 2021 Open de Limoges

Niculescu started 2019 by reaching the quarterfinals of the Shenzhen Open, but then lost to Wang Yafan.[22] The following week, she reached semifinals of the Hobart International in doubles event. In the Australian Open she lost in the first round in singles but get to the third round in doubles. At the Thailand Open she and Begu won a title in the doubles category. At the Miami Open, she get to the third round after defeating Garbiñe Muguruza,[23] but then lost to Wozniacki.[24] In doubles, she and Abigail Spears reached the quarterfinals. They lost in the quarterfinal match against Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shuai after three sets.[25]

She started well the grass season with the semifinal of the Nottingham Open doubles event. The following week, she won the $100.000 Ilkley singles grass tournament after defeating Tímea Babos in the final.[26] Her next tournament was Wimbledon, where she defeated former top 10 player Petkovic.[27] In doubles, she advanced to the third round. A month later, she and Margarita Gasparyan lost in the final of the Bronx Open.

At the 2020 Australian Open, Niculescu made it into the main-draw after qualifying. In the first round she faced Alizé Cornet. After winning first set, she only won one game in the second set, and then got defeated in the third. At the Prague Open, Niculescu finished as runner-up alongside Olaru after losing to Lucie Hradecká/Kristýna Plíšková.[28] At the US Open, she lost to Danielle Collins in the first round.

At the 2021 Qatar Open doubles event, she and Jeļena Ostapenko finished runners-up, losing the final to Nicole Melichar and Demi Schuurs.[29] Soon later, she reached the semifinal of the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy alongside Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove.[30] At the French Open, she and Ostapenko got into the fourth round, where the Pliskova's sisters defeated them.[31] Next, she won the ITF title at the $100.000 Nottingham tournament, where together with Elena-Gabriela Ruse, she defeated Priscilla Hon and Storm Sanders.[32] After that she went to Wimbledon, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka.[33] In doubles, she got one round further together with Andreea Mitu.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Niculescu played for her country only in the doubles event. Playing alongside Olaru, she get to the second round after beating former No. 5, Chan Hao-ching and former No. 1, Latisha Chan.[34] Niculescu continued with good results in doubles, getting to the quarterfinals of the US Open alongside Ruse,[35] this being her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since the 2018 Australian Open and the first one at the US Open. In October, Niculescu won the inaugural Astana Open together with Anna-Lena Friedsam. This was her tenth WTA doubles title, and the first since February 2019.[36] She closed 2021 off with the doubles title at the WTA 125 Open de Limoges alongside Vera Zvonareva.[37]

Playing style[]

Niculescu preparing to hit a forehand

Niculescu is a right-handed player,[38] known for her unorthodox style of play.[39] Her trademark is unpredictable forehand slice.[40] She also loves to a hit flat two-handed backhand.[38] As a proficient doubles player, she is a good player, being able to force tricky drop shots[24] and precise volleys.[21] During her match against Johanna Konta at the 2017 China Open, Niculescu showed a variety of spins offs that helped her control the match.[41]

Niculescu cited Martina Hingis and Andre Agassi as her tennis idols.[42] Her opponents have not always enjoyed playing against her, since her playing style is opposite to what most players do. For instance, she hits a slice forehand, but she hits a topspin backhand. To have a chance to dominate her, you need to be patient. One tactic Niculescu uses to break through her opponent's defence is to force her opponent to run more by using her good footwork.[43]

Coaches[]

She is currently coached by Călin Stelian Ciorbagiu.[1]

Career statistics[]

Main article: Monica Niculescu career statistics

Grand Slam performances[]

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G F-S SF-B NMS 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, (F-S) silver or (SF-B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; a (NMS) downgraded Masters Series/1000 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.

Singles[]

Tournament 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 SR W–L Win %
Australian Open 1R 2R 1R 3R 3R 1R 3R 1R 2R 1R 1R 1R 1R Q1 A 0 / 13 8–13 38%
French Open 1R 1R Q3 1R 1R 1R 2R 1R 1R 1R A A 1R Q3 0 / 10 1–10 9%
Wimbledon 2R 1R 2R 2R 1R 1R 1R 4R 2R 1R 1R 2R NH 1R 0 / 13 8–13 38%
US Open 1R 1R 1R 4R 1R 1R 2R 2R 3R 3R 1R 1R A Q3 0 / 12 9–12 43%
Win–loss 1–4 1–4 1–3 6–4 2–4 0–4 4–4 4–4 4–4 2–4 0–3 1–3 0–2 0–1 0–0 0 / 48 26–48 35%

Doubles[]

Tournament 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 SR W–L Win%
Australian Open A 2R 3R 2R QF 3R 2R 2R 1R 1R SF 3R 3R 1R A 0 / 13 19–13 59%
French Open 2R 3R QF 3R 2R 3R 2R 1R A A A A 2R 3R 0 / 10 15–10 60%
Wimbledon 2R 3R 2R 2R 2R 1R 2R 2R 1R F 3R 3R NH 2R 0 / 13 18–13 58%
US Open 2R 3R 3R 1R 1R 1R 2R 2R 3R 3R 2R 1R A QF 0 / 13 15–13 54%
Win–loss 3–3 7–4 8–4 4–4 5–4 4–4 4–4 3–4 2–3 7–3 7–3 4–3 3–2 6–3 0–0 0 / 49 67–49 58%

Grand Slam finals[]

Doubles: 1 (runner-up)[]

Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 2017 Wimbledon Grass Chinese Taipei Chan Hao-ching Russia Ekaterina Makarova
Russia Elena Vesnina 		0–6, 0–6

Notes[]

  1. ^ Formerly known as Tier I (until 2009), Premier 5 and Premier Mandatory (until 2021).

References[]

  1. ^ a b Voicu, Ana-Maria (25 September 2021). "Jucătoarea de tenis, Monica Niculescu, împlinește astăzi 34 de ani" [Today is tennis player Monica Niculescu's 34th birthday]. Ziua de Constanța (in Romanian). Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Niculescu upsets Safarova to reach fourth round". tennis.com. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Kerber beats Niculescu in straight sets at US Open". tennis.com. 4 September 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Niculescu knocks off Ostapenko in Shenzhen shocker". WTA Tennis. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Niculescu wins firsst title in Brazil". tennis.com. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Halep vs. Vinci in Bucharest final". tennis.com. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Serena given warm reception in winning Indian Wells return". tennis.com. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Croatian teen Konjuh wins first WTA Tour title in Nottingham". tennis.com. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Radwanska beats Niculescu to reach Doha quarterfinals". tennis.com. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Romania Insider (13 May 2016). "Romania's Irina Begu will play two semifinals at Rome tennis open". romania-insider.com. Retrieved 23 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Irina Marica (29 August 2016). "Romanian-Indian duo win doubles title in New Haven". romania-insider.com. Retrieved 23 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Lara Arruabarrena wins Korea Open with strange 6-0, 2-6, 6-0 score". tennis.com. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ Irina Marica (24 October 2016). "Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu wins her first WTA title this year". romania-insider.com. Retrieved 23 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Luigi Gatto (14 January 2017). "WTA HOBART - Elise Mertens beats Monica Niculescu and wins her first WTA title". tennis world. Retrieved 14 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ Tim Lewis (15 July 2017). "Lucasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo clinch Wimbledon men's doubles final epic". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Final countdown: Washington". WTA Tennis. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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