Mihaela Buzărnescu
Mihaela Buzărnescu is a professional tennis player from Romania.
She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 20, achieved on 6 August 2018. Her best doubles ranking of No. 24, she achieved on 22 October 2018. She has won one singles and one doubles title on the WTA Tour.
Buzărnescu has a Ph.D. in sports science from the National University of Physical Education and Sport.
Career highlights
Junior success
Buzărnescu played her first professional match in 2004. She then won the junior doubles title at the 2006 US Open with Raluca Olaru. Seeded No. 2, they defeated the top-seeded pair of Sharon Fichman and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final.Injuries and hiatus
Shoulder and knee injuries forced her off the pro tour for years, long enough that she went back to school, graduating a doctorate at the National University of Physical Education and Sport in December 2016.2017–2018: Entry into top 100 and first WTA titles
In October 2017, Buzărnescu got to the semifinals of the Linz Open.In 2018, she reached the finals in Hobart and Prague.
At the Internationaux de Strasbourg, she surrendered a lead in the singles semifinals against Dominika Cibulková, eventually losing the match in three sets. She showed more consistency in the doubles, winning the tournament and her first WTA title with compatriot Raluca Olaru in straight sets against Nadiia Kichenok and Anastasia Rodionova.
Buzărnescu then played her first French Open, which was also the first Grand Slam tournament she was seeded. She defeated Vania King in the first round for her first Grand Slam win. Afterwards she also won versus Rebecca Peterson. Against No. 4 seed Elina Svitolina in the third round, Buzărnescu won the match in straight sets. This was her biggest career victory and one of the tournament's bigger upsets. She faced No. 13 seed Madison Keys in the fourth round where she lost in two sets.
In the grass-court season, Buzărnescu reached the quarterfinal of the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham, losing to Naomi Osaka. She also played in the doubles tournament with British partner Heather Watson losing in the final.
At the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham, she once again defeated No. 2 seed Elina Svitolina before losing to eventual champion Petra Kvitova in the semifinals.
Buzărnescu then played for a third consecutive week in Eastbourne. She reached the last 16 before losing to Jelena Ostapenko. However, she reached the doubles final with partner Irina Begu.
In August, Buzărnescu captured her first WTA singles title winning in San Jose with a straight-set-victory over Maria Sakkari in the final.
Later in August, she played Elina Svitolina once more in the second round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal but unfortunately suffered a serious ankle injury and was forced to retire. This injury kept her out of the game for two months including the US Open but she did reach her best ever ranking of No. 20 in the world. Buzārnescu ended the year ranked 24.
2019
Buzarnescu began 2019 season as the second seed at the Hobart International tournament where she had been runner up the year before. However, she was defeated by Belinda Bencic in the first round. Her bad luck for first-round draws continued when she was paired against Venus Williams in the first round of the Australian Open. Buzarnescu was the 25th seed but former world number one, Venus Williams, won in three sets.She represented Romania in the World Group-match in the Fed Cup again the Czech Republic held in Ostrava in February. She lost her opening singles match 1–6, 4–6 to Karolina Pliskova.
Performance timelines
- Sourced from WTA
Singles
This table is current through the 2020 BNP Paribas Open.
Junior Grand Slam finals
Doubles: 1 (1 title)
WTA career finals
- Matches sourced per WTA
Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | Jan 2018 | Hobart International, Australia | International | Hard |  Elise Mertens | 1–6, 6–4, 3–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | May 2018 | Prague Open, Czech Republic | International | Clay |  Petra Kvitová | 6–4, 2–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 1–2 | Jul 2018 | Bank of the West Classic, United States | Premier | Hard |  Maria Sakkari | 6–1, 6–0 |
Doubles: 4 (1 title, 3 runner-ups)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | May 2018 | Prague Open, Czech Republic | International | Clay |  Lidziya Marozava |  Nicole Melichar Květa Peschke | 4–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 1–1 | May 2018 | Internationaux de Strasbourg, France | International | Clay |  Raluca Olaru |  Nadiia Kichenok  Anastasia Rodionova | 7–5, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1–2 | June 2018 | Nottingham Open, United Kingdom | International | Grass |  Heather Watson |  Alicja Rosolska Abigail Spears | 3–6, 6–7 |
| Loss | 1–3 | June 2018 | Eastbourne International, United Kingdom | Premier | Grass | Irina-Camelia Begu |  Gabriela Dabrowski  Xu Yifan | 3–6, 5–7 |
ITF Circuit finals
- Matches sourced per ITF
Singles: 29 (22 titles, 7 runner–ups)
Doubles: 56 (34 titles, 22 runner–ups)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Win | 1–0 | Jun 2004 | ITF Constanţa, Romania | 10,000 | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Bianca Bonifate Diana Gae | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 2–0 | Jun 2004 | ITF Piteşti, Romania | 10,000 | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu |  Andrea Benítez  Estefania Craciún | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 2–1 | Apr 2005 | ITF Mumbai, India | 10,000 | Hard |  Sanaa Bhambri |  Chan Chin-wei  Julia Efremova | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 2–2 | Jul 2006 | ITF Båstad, Sweden | 25,000 | Clay | Magda Mihalache | Erica Krauth  Aurélie Védy | 6–2, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 2–3 | Aug 2006 | ITF Moscow, Russia | 25,000 | Clay | Evgeniya Rodina | Maria Kondratieva Ekaterina Makarova | 6–4, 4–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 2–4 | Apr 2007 | ITF Split, Croatia | 10,000 | Clay | Antonia Xenia Tout | Olga Brózda Natalia Kołat | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 3–4 | Apr 2007 | ITF Hvar, Croatia | 10,000 | Clay | Magdalena Kiszczyńska | Émilie Bacquet  Karolina Jovanović | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 3–5 | Apr 2007 | ITF Bol, Croatia | 10,000 | Clay |  Nadja Roma | Iveta Gerlová Lucie Kriegsmannová | 3–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 4–5 | May 2007 | ITF Rabat, Morocco | 10,000 | Clay |  Melanie Klaffner |  Silvia Disderi  Samia Medjahdi | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 4–6 | Aug 2007 | ITF Bucharest, Romania | 25,000 | Clay | Monica Niculescu | Sorana Cîrstea Ágnes Szatmári | w/o |
| Loss | 4–7 | Aug 2007 | ITF Penza, Russia | 50,000 | Clay | Veronika Kapshay | Sophie Lefèvre Ágnes Szatmári | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 5–7 | Sep 2007 | ITF Sofia, Bulgaria | 25,000 | Clay | Magdalena Kiszczyńska |  Joana Cortez Teliana Pereira | 6–4, 6–7, |
| Win | 6–7 | Sep 2007 | ITF Batumi, Georgia | 25,000 | Hard | Vojislava Lukić | Vasilisa Davydova Marina Shamayko | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 7–7 | Jun 2008 | ITF Piteşti, Romania | 10,000 | Clay | Laura-Ioana Andrei | Simona Matei Valentina Sulpizio | 7–5, 3–6, |
| Win | 8–7 | Jun 2008 | ITF Bucharest, Romania | 10,000 | Clay | Laura-Ioana Andrei | Benedetta Davato Valentina Sulpizio | 6–4, 4–6, |
| Loss | 8–8 | Jul 2008 | ITF Toruń, Poland | 25,000 | Clay | Anastasia Pivovarova | Olga Brózda Magdalena Kiszczyńska | 6–4, 4–6, |
| Win | 9–8 | Jul 2008 | ITF Kharkiv, Ukraine | 25,000 | Clay |  Oksana Kalashnikova | Kristina Antoniychuk Lesia Tsurenko | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Win | 10–8 | Jun 2009 | ITF Bucharest, Romania | 10,000 | Clay | Elora Dabija | Laura-Ioana Andrei Ioana Gaspar | 1–6, 7–5, |
| Win | 11–8 | Oct 2009 | ITF Belek, Turkey | 10,000 | Clay | Kateřina Vaňková |  Magali de Lattre  Fatima El Allami | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Win | 12–8 | Nov 2009 | ITF Le Havre, France | 10,000 | Clay | Marina Melnikova | Amandine Hesse Alizé Lim | 6–2, 7–6 |
| Win | 13–8 | Nov 2009 | ITF Cairo, Egypt | 25,000 | Clay | Laura Thorpe |  Fatma Al-Nabhani Galina Fokina | 6–4, 6–0 |
| Loss | 13–9 | Mar 2010 | ITF Antalya, Turkey | 10,000 | Clay | Alenka Hubacek | Yuliya Beygelzimer Anna Gerasimou | w/o |
| Win | 14–9 | April 2010 | ITF Antalya, Turkey | 10,000 | Clay |  Dalia Zafirova | Veronika Chvojková Martina Kubičíková | 7–6, 7–5 |
| Win | 15–9 | Apr 2010 | ITF Vic, Spain | 10,000 | Clay | Cristina Stancu | Olga Brózda Barbara Sobaszkiewicz | 7–5, 3–6, |
| Win | 16–9 | Aug 2010 | ITF Oneşti, Romania | 10,000 | Clay | Laura-Ioana Andrei | Camelia Hristea Biljana Pavlova | 7–6, 6–2 |
| Win | 17–9 | Aug 2010 | ITF Bucharest, Romania | 10,000 | Clay | Laura-Ioana Andrei | Diana Enache Camelia Hristea | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Win | 18–9 | Sep 2010 | ITF Podgorica, Montenegro | 25,000 | Clay | Irina-Camelia Begu | Valeria Solovieva Maryna Zanevska | 5–7, 7–5, |
| Loss | 18–10 | Oct 2010 | ITF Kharkiv, Ukraine | 25,000 | Clay | Marina Shamayko | Anna Piven Anastasiya Vasylyeva | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 19–10 | May 2011 | ITF Wiesbaden, Germany | 10,000 | Clay | Karolina Wlodarczak |  Dejana Raickovic  Ghislaine van Baal | 6–7, 6–3, |
| Loss | 19–11 | May 2011 | ITF İzmir, Turkey | 25,000 | Hard |  Tereza Mrdeža | Naomi Broady Lisa Whybourn | 6–3, 6–7, |
| Win | 20–11 | Jun 2011 | ITF Florence, Italy | 10,000 | Clay |  Zuzana Zlochová | Nicole Clerico Valentina Sulpizio | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 20–12 | Jul 2011 | ITF Craiova, Romania | 25,000 | Clay | Elena Bogdan | Diana Enache Daniëlle Harmsen | 6–4, 6–7, |
| Win | 21–12 | Jul 2011 | ITF Samsun, Turkey | 25,000 | Hard |  Tadeja Majerič |  Çağla Büyükakçay Pemra Özgen | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Win | 22–12 | Sep 2011 | ITF Saransk, Russia | 50,000 | Clay | Teodora Mirčić | Eva Hrdinová Veronika Kapshay | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Loss | 22–13 | Sep 2011 | ITF Zagreb, Croatia | 50,000 | Clay | Maria Abramović | Maria João Koehler  Katalin Marosi | 0–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 23–13 | Oct 2011 | ITF Telavi, Georgia | 50,000 | Clay | Elena Bogdan | Ekaterine Gorgodze Anastasia Grymalska | 1–6, 6–1, |
| Loss | 23–14 | Feb 2012 | ITF Surprise, United States | 25,000 | Hard | Valeria Solovieva | Maria Sanchez Yasmin Schnack | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 24–14 | July 2012 | ITF Zwevegem, Belgium | 25,000 | Clay | Nicola Geuer | Kim Kilsdonk Nicolette van Uitert | 7–6, 1–6, |
| Win | 25–14 | Sep 2012 | ITF Mont-de-Marsan, France | 25,000 | Clay |  Timea Bacsinszky | Teliana Pereira Aleksandrina Naydenova | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Loss | 25–15 | Mar 2015 | ITF Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia | 10,000 | Hard | Olena Kyrpot | Inês Murta  Melanie Stokke | 1–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 26–15 | Mar 2015 | ITF Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia | 10,000 | Hard | Olena Kyrpot |  Jennifer Claffey  Kathinka von Deichmann | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 27–15 | Apr 2015 | ITF Pula, Italy | 25,000 | Clay | Irina Bara | Corinna Dentoni Claudia Giovine | 6–3, 2–6, |
| Win | 28–15 | Oct 2015 | ITF Saguenay, Canada | 50,000 | Hard | Justyna Jegiołka | Sharon Fichman Maria Sanchez | 7–6, 4–6, |
| Win | 29–15 | Nov 2015 | ITF Zawada, Poland | 25,000 | Carpet | Justyna Jegiołka | Kim Grajdek Ekaterina Yashina | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Loss | 29–16 | Sep 2016 | ITF Mamaia, Romania | 25,000 | Clay | Irina Bara | Vivien Juhászová Kateřina Kramperová | 6–7, 6–2, |
| Loss | 29–17 | Sep 2016 | ITF Bucha, Ukraine | 25,000 | Clay |  Alexandra Perper | Valentyna Ivakhnenko Anastasiya Komardina | 3–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 30–17 | Oct 2016 | ITF Saguenay, Canada | 50,000 | Hard | Elena Bogdan | Bianca Andreescu Charlotte Robillard-Millette | 6–4, 6–7, |
| Win | 31–17 | Oct 2016 | ITF Tampico, Mexico | 50,000 | Hard | Elise Mertens | Usue Maitane Arconada Katie Swan | 6–0, 6–2 |
| Loss | 31–18 | Nov 2016 | ITF Waco, United States | 50,000 | Hard |  Renata Zarazúa | Michaëlla Krajicek Taylor Townsend | w/o |
| Win | 32–18 | May 2017 | ITF Dunakeszi, Hungary | 25,000 | Clay | Irina Bara | Daiana Negreanu Oana Georgeta Simion | 1–6, 6–1, |
| Loss | 32–19 | Jul 2017 | ITF Prague, Czech Republic | 80,000 | Clay | Alona Fomina | Anastasia Potapova Dayana Yastremska | 2–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 32–20 | Aug 2017 | ITF Woking, United Kingdom | 25,000 | Hard | Justyna Jegiołka | Laura-Ioana Andrei Petra Krejsová | 6–4, 2–6, |
| Win | 33–20 | Sep 2017 | ITF Biarritz, France | 80,000 | Clay | Irina Bara |  Cristina Bucșa Isabelle Wallace | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Loss | 33–21 | Sep 2017 | ITF Saint Malo, France | 60,000 | Clay | Irina Bara |  Diāna Marcinkēviča  Daniela Seguel | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 33–22 | Oct 2017 | ITF Poitiers, France | 100,000 | Hard | Nicola Geuer | Belinda Bencic Yanina Wickmayer | 6–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 34–22 | Dec 2017 | ITF Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 100,000+H | Hard | Alena Fomina | Lesley Kerkhove Lidziya Marozava | 6–4, 6–3 |