MATCH POINTS
No.1 seed Anastasija Sevastova begins her title defence against the last player to defeat her in Bucharest - local favorite Ana Bogdan, who won their 2017 quarterfinal 6-1, 6-3 in their only previous meeting.
2017 champion Irina-Camelia Begu is 3-0 against Aleksandra Krunic, having beaten the Serbian 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Versmold ITF W25 in 2010, 6-1, 6-1 in Roland Garros qualifying in 2014 and 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of Indian Wells last year.
Former World No.83 Patricia Maria Tig plays her first WTA main draw following her maternity leave against lucky loser Anna Bondar. The Romanian was absent between September 2017 - her last WTA tournament, Guangzhou - and April this year, where she returned to action for a series of ITF W15 events in Cancun and compiled a 25-6 win-loss record, collecting two titles. Tig, the 2015 Baku finalist, then competed in Wimbledon qualifying, where she stretched Paula Badosa to three sets, and has qualified here for the loss of only one set.
Former doubles World No.1 Barbora Krejcikova is competing in her first WTA singles main draw of the season. The Czech, last year's Roland Garros and Wimbledon doubles champion with Katerina Siniakova, plays a reduced singles schedule due to her doubles commitments - but has compiled a 24-3 win-loss record this year anyway (with two of those losses coming via retirement), collecting ITF titles in Palm Harbor, Pelham, Wiesbaden and Stare Splavy. Krejcikova takes on wildcard Elena-Gabriela Ruse - one of eight Romanian players in the main draw, all of whom are in action today.
Lucky loser Alexandra Cadantu saved eight match points in her 6-7(3), 7-6(8), 7-6(4) qualifying second round win over Romanian compatriot Nicoleta Dascalu - the most match points anyone has saved in a 2019 WTA main draw or qualifying match before going on to win. The former World No.59 fell in the final qualifying round to Xu Shilin but is one of four lucky losers in the main draw; she faces No.8 seed Kristyna Pliskova in the first round, to whom she has lost one previous encounter 6-2, 7-6(1) in Birmingham qualifying last year.
Kaja Juvan was originally slated to play No.4 seed Tamara Zidansek and then No.9 seed Ivana Jorovic before both players withdrew; the 18-year-old rising Slovenian will instead face lucky loser Isabella Shinikova, to whom she lost her sole prior meeting 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Bastad ITF W25 event last year.
ORDER OF PLAY
CENTRE (starts 2pm)
[5] Sorana CIRSTEA (ROU) vs [WC] Jaqueline CRISTIAN (ROU)
Irina-Camelia BEGU (ROU) vs Aleksandra KRUNIC (SRB)
[1] Anastasija SEVASTOVA (LAT) vs Ana BOGDAN (ROU)
Not before 8pm
[WC] Elena-Gabriela RUSE (ROU) vs Barbora KREJCIKOVA (CZE)
GRANDSTAND (starts 12 noon)
Arantxa RUS (NED) vs [3] Veronika KUDERMETOVA (RUS)
[LL] Alexandra CADANTU (ROU) vs [8] Kristyna PLISKOVA (CZE)
[Q] Jaimee FOURLIS (AUS) vs [WC] Irina BARA (ROU)
[LL] Anna BONDAR (HUN) vs [Q] Patricia Maria TIG (ROU)
COURT 4 (starts 2pm)
[LL] Isabella SHINIKOVA (BUL) vs Kaja JUVAN (SLO)
[Q] XU Shilin (CHN) vs Lara ARRUABARRENA (ESP)
Varvara LEPCHENKO (USA) vs [Q] Martina DI GIUSEPPE (ITA)
COURT 6 (starts 2pm)
Sharon FICHMAN (CAN) / Nina STOJANOVIC (SRB) vs Marie BENOIT (BEL) / Ysaline BONAVENTURE (BEL)
Akgul AMANMURADOVA (UZB) / Cristina DINU (ROU) vs Aliona BOLSOVA (ESP) / Tereza MRDEZA (CRO)
Naiktha BAINS (GBR) / Anastasia GRYMALSKA (ITA) vs [4] Viktoria KUZMOVA (SVK) / Kristyna PLISKOVA (CZE)
