Virginia Ruzici


Virginia Ruzici is a former professional tennis player from Romania. She won the 1978 French Open singles championship.

Career

Ruzici became a professional tennis player in 1975. One of her main assets on court was her powerful forehand. In a career spanning 12 years, Ruzici won 12 career singles titles, including one Grand Slam title, the 1978 French Open. In the final, she beat 1977 French Open champion Mima Jaušovec 6–2, 6–2. Ruzici also won the French Open doubles event with Jaušovec in 1978 and reached the mixed doubles final in 1978 that same year. She appeared in the French Open singles final again in 1980, but lost in straight sets to Chris Evert.
Ruzici remained in the world's top 20 from 1977 to 1983. She regularly featured in the Romania Fed Cup team throughout her career, and began playing for them in 1973, two years before turning professional.
At Wimbledon 1978, Ruzici lost a notable match in the quarterfinal to the Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley who was playing with an injured ankle. Goolagong's injury led to her collapsing on court and her husband, Roger Cawley, came on to the court to aid his wife, technically defaulting the Australian from the match. When Goolagong recovered, Ruzici agreed to continue the match, but lost 7–5, 6–3 and was praised for her sportsmanship. It has been stated during TV commentaries that Ruzici's victory in 1980 at a tournament in Salt Lake City was watched by Richard Williams who was inspired by her triumph and prize money to teach his daughters Venus and Serena Williams to play tennis.
Ruzici is now the manager of Romanian tennis player Simona Halep.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (1 title, 1 runner–up)

Women's doubles (1 title, 1 runner–up)

Mixed doubles (2 runners-up)

WTA career finals

Singles: 27 (12–15)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Winner1.18 August 1975:fr:Tournoi de tennis de South Orange|South OrangeClay Mariana Simionescu6–1, 6–1
Runner-up1.12 July 1976KitzbühelClay Wendy Turnbull4–6, 7–5, 3–6
Runner-up2.18 October 1976BarcelonaClay Renáta Tomanová6–3, 4–6, 2–6
Winner2.26 September 1977Palm HarborClay Laura duPont6–4, 4–6, 6–2
Runner-up3.15 May 1978HamburgClay Mima Jaušovec2–6, 3–6
Runner-up4.22 May 1978RomeClay Regina Maršíková5–7, 5–7
Winner3.29 May 1978French OpenClay Mima Jaušovec6–2, 6–2
Winner4.24 July 1978KitzbühelClay Sylvia Hanika6–4, 6–3
Runner-up5.14 August 1978TorontoHard Regina Maršíková5–7, 7–6, 2–6
Winner5.16 October 1978BrightonCarpet Betty Stöve5–7, 6–2, 7–5
Runner-up6.19 February 1979DetroitCarpet Wendy Turnbull5–7, 6–1, 6–7
Runner-up7.10 December 1979:fr:Tournoi d'Adélaïde|AdelaideGrass Hana Mandlíková5–7, 2–2 ret.
Runner-up8.5 May 1980RomeClay Chris Evert7–5, 2–6, 2–6
Runner-up9.26 May 1980French OpenClay Chris Evert0–6, 3–6
Winner6.21 July 1980KitzbühelClay Hana Mandlíková3–6, 6–1 ret.
Runner-up10.11 August 1980TorontoHard Chris Evert3–6, 1–6
Winner7.8 September 1980Salt Lake CityHard Ivanna Madruga6–1, 6–3
Runner-up11.10 November 1980:fr:Internationaux d'Amsterdam|AmsterdamCarpet Hana Mandlíková7–5, 2–6, 5–7
Runner-up12.4 May 1981PerugiaClay Chris Evert1–6, 2–6
Runner-up13.11 May 1981LuganoClay Chris Evert1–6, 1–6
Runner-up14.3 August 1981IndianapolisClay Andrea Jaeger1–6, 0–6
Winner8.12 July 1982:fr:Tournoi de tennis de Monte-Carlo|Monte CarloClay Bonnie Gadusek6–2, 7–6
Winner9.19 July 1982KitzbühelClay Lea Plchová6–2, 6–2
Winner10.2 August 1982IndianapolisClay Helena Suková6–2, 6–0
Winner11.3 October 1983DetroitCarpet Kathy Jordan4–6, 6–4, 6–2
Runner-up15.1 April 1985Seabrook IslandClay Katerina Maleeva3–6, 3–6
Winner12.15 July 1985BregenzClay Mima Jaušovec6–2, 6–3

Doubles: 35 (16–19)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Runner-up1.11 November 1973:fr:Coupe de Londres|LondonCarpet Mariana Simionescu Lesley Charles
Glynis Coles
3–6, 5–7
Winner1.4 November 1974EdinburghCarpet Mima Jaušovec María-Isabel Fernández
Raquel Giscafré
6–4, 4–6, 6–4
Runner-up2.8 March 1976TallahasseeClay Mariana Simionescu Julie Anthony
Dianne Fromholtz
2–6, 5–7
Runner-up3.23 May 1976RomeClay Mariana Simionescu Linky Boshoff
Ilana Kloss
1–6, 2–6
Winner2.18 October 1976BarcelonaClay Florența Mihai Nathalie Fuchs
Michele Gurdal
6–2, 6–4
Runner-up4.24 January 1977:fr:US Indoors 1977|MinneapolisCarpet Mima Jaušovec Rosie Casals
Martina Navratilova
2–6, 1–6
Winner3.15 May 1978HamburgClay Mima Jaušovec Katja Ebbinghaus
Helga Niessen Masthoff
6–4, 5–7, 6–0
Winner4.22 May 1978RomeClay Mima Jaušovec Florența Mihai
Betsy Nagelsen
6–2, 2–6, 7–6
Winner5.29 May 1978French OpenClay Mima Jaušovec Gail Sherriff Lovera
Lesley Turner Bowrey
5–7, 6–4, 8–6
Runner-up5.26 June 1978WimbledonGrass Mima Jaušovec Kerry Melville Reid
Wendy Turnbull
6–4, 8–9, 3–6
Winner6.24 July 1978KitzbühelClay Renáta Tomanová Regina Maršíková
Florența Mihai
7–5, 6–2
Runner-up6.23 October 1978FilderstadtCarpet Mima Jaušovec Tracy Austin
Betty Stöve
3–6, 3–6
Winner7.1 January 1979Washington, D.C.Carpet Mima Jaušovec Renée Richards
Sharon Walsh
4–6, 6–2, 6–4
Runner-up7.18 July 1979KitzbühelClay Elly Appel-Vessies Helena Anliot
:fr:Diane Evers|Diane Evers
0–6, 4–6
Winner8.22 October 1979TampaHard Anne Smith Ilana Kloss
Betty Ann Stuart
7–5, 4–6, 7–5
Winner9.10 December 1979:fr:Tournoi d'Adélaïde|AdelaideGrass Hana Mandlíková Sue Barker
Pam Shriver
6–1, 3–6, 6–2
Runner-up8.4 August 1980IndianapolisClay Renáta Tomanová Anne Smith
Paula Smith
4–6, 6–3, 4–6
Winner10.8 September 1980Salt Lake CityHard Pam Teeguarden Barbara Jordan
JoAnne Russell
6–4, 7–5
Winner11.27 October 1980StockholmCarpet Mima Jaušovec Hana Mandlíková
Betty Stöve
6–2, 6–1
Runner-up9.16 March 1981BostonCarpet JoAnne Russell Barbara Potter
Sharon Walsh
7–6, 4–6, 3–6
Runner-up10.4 May 1981PerugiaClay Chris Evert Candy Reynolds
Paula Smith
5–7, 1–6
Winner12.3 August 1981IndianapolisClay JoAnne Russell Sue Barker
Paula Smith
6–2, 6–2
Runner-up11.5 April 1982Hilton Head IslandClay JoAnne Russell Martina Navratilova
Pam Shriver
1–6, 2–6
Runner-up12.10 May 1982LuganoClay JoAnne Russell Candy Reynolds
Paula Smith
2–6, 4–6
Winner13.12 July 1982:fr:Tournoi de Monte-Carlo|Monte CarloClay Catherine Tanvier Patricia Medrado
Cláudia Monteiro
7–6, 6–2
Runner-up13.2 August 1982IndianapolisClay JoAnne Russell Ivanna Madruga
Catherine Tanvier
5–7, 6–7
Runner-up14.6 December 1982RichmondCarpet JoAnne Russell Rosie Casals
Candy Reynolds
3–6, 3–6
Runner-up15.11 April 1983Amelia IslandClay Hana Mandlíková Rosalyn Fairbank
Candy Reynolds
4–6, 2–6
Winner14.2 May 1983PerugiaClay Virginia Wade Ivana Madruga
Catherine Tanvier
6–3, 2–6, 6–1
Winner15.1 August 1983IndianapolisClay Kathy Horvath Gigi Fernández
Beth Herr
4–6, 7–6, 6–2
Runner-up16.8 August 1983Los AngelesHard Betsy Nagelsen Martina Navratilova
Pam Shriver
1–6, 0–6
Runner-up17.24 October 1983FilderstadtCarpet Catherine Tanvier Martina Navratilova
Candy Reynolds
2–6, 1–6
Runner-up18.14 May 1984BerlinClay Kathy Horvath Anne Hobbs
Candy Reynolds
3–6, 6–4, 6–7
Runner-up19.21 May 1984PerugiaClay Kathy Horvath Iva Budařová
Helena Suková
6–7, 6–1, 4–6
Winner16.15 July 1985BregenzClay Mima Jaušovec Andrea Holíková
:fr:Kateřina Böhmová-Skronská|Kateřina Skronská
6–2, 6–3

Other Circuit Finals

Singles (8-4)

Doubles (5–0)

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.