Quick Facts
| Intro | Romanian tennis player |
| Is | Athlete Tennis player |
| From | Romania |
| Field | Sports |
| Gender | female |
| Birth | 25 September 1987, Slatina |
| Age | 35 years |
| Residence | Bucharest |
Biography
Monica Niculescu (born 25 September 1987) is a professional Romanian tennis player. Her highest WTA ranking is no. 28 in singles, reached on February 27, 2012, and no. 16 in doubles, reached on 31 July 2016.
Niculescu was born in Slatina, Romania, but moved to Bucharest when she was four. She is currently coached by Călin Stelian Ciorbagiu.
Tennis career
2002–2005: Junior years
As a junior, Niculescu had the remarkable gift to win quite easily every final she reached. Thus, before reaching the age of 18, she won 11 ITF singles finals, losing only one set:
- in Bucharest (August 2002), 6-1,7-6 to Tsvetana Pironkova;
- in Cavtat (April 2003) 6-4,6-1 to Darija Jurak;
- in Timişoara (August 2003) 6-2,6-3 to Veronika Rizhik;
- in Albufeira (February 2004) 6-1,3-6,6-0 to Irina Kotkina;
- in Portimão (February 2004) 6-4,7-6 to Nadja Pavić;
- in Bucharest (May 2004) 6-2,6-2 to Simona Matei;
- in Iași (August 2004) 7-6,6-0 to Raluca Olaru;
- in Cairo (March 2005) 6-4,6-2 to Galina Fokina;
- in Ain El Soukhna (March 2005) 6-3,6-4 to Magdaléna Rybáriková;
- in Antalya (May 2005) 6-2,6-2 to Ekaterina Dzehalevich;
- and in Coimbra (August 2005) 6-3,6-1 against Aravane Rezaï.
She also won 8 out of 14 ITF finals played in doubles, as a junior, in most of them having as a partner her older sister Gabriela Niculescu. She played finals in girls'doubles in Roland Garros (2004, paired with Madalinea Gojnea) and twice in Wimbledon (2004 and 2005, paired with Marina Erakovic).
By the end of 2005, now already a senior player, she was no. 271 in the WTA rankings and no.4 in Romania.
2006–2008: Constant progress as a senior, Top 50
Niculescu made her WTA debut in 2006 Istanbul, where she won to then junior Sabine Lisicki but could not pass the 3rd qualification round. In 2007 she continued to play many ITF tournaments, and she also played in qualifications in all 4 Grand Slams and 3 other WTA tournaments, but only in Dubai she reached the main draw. Still, winning several ITF tournaments and gathering many small points, she finished the year 2007 in Top 200.
In 2008, she reached the quarterfinals in Tashkent, and in all 4 Grand Slams she reached the first round, with round 2 reached in Wimbledon. Gathering points constantly on WTA tour, and also including some smaller successes in ITF tournaments, Niculescu was ranked 48th in the World, and 2nd in Romania, at the end of 2008.
2009: Setback and out of Top 100
Niculescu opened the season at the Brisbane International, where she lost to Tsvetana Pironkova in the first round in three sets. She also lost in the first round of the Moorilla Hobart International to Alona Bondarenko. At the 2009 Australian Open, Niculescu beat Katie O'Brien in the first round, 6–4, 6–4, before losing to Sara Errani in the second, 2–6, 3–6. Alongside Sorana Cîrstea, Niculescu was the fourteenth seed in women's doubles; they lost to Nathalie Dechy and Mara Santangelo in the second round, 3–6, 3–6.
In the other 3 Grand Slams, she did not go past round 1 of the main draw. Her best results of the year were quarterfinals in Tashkent and Strasbourg.
At the Open GDF Suez held in Paris, Niculescu defeated Timea Bacsinszky in the first round, before losing to eventual champion Amélie Mauresmo in the second. She then took part in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. She beat Peng Shuai in the first round in three sets, 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, and then lost to world no. 3 Jelena Janković in the second, 3–6, 2–6. Niculescu also partnered Elena Vesnina in doubles, and the two reached the quarterfinals in women's doubles; they lost to Anabel Medina Garrigues and Francesca Schiavone. Niculescu had two consecutive first-round losses, at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California (fell to Anna-Lena Grönefeld) and Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida (fell to Tamira Paszek). Partnering Alisa Kleybanova, she reached the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open, where they lost to Maria Kirilenko and Flavia Pennetta. At the Sony Ericsson Open she partnered Kleybanova again, but they lost to second seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual.
Niculescu withdrew from the Andalucía Tennis Experience and Barcelona Ladies Open due to a forearm injury.
At the end of the year, she had slipped out of Top 100.
2010: Comeback to Top 100, first WTA semifinal
In 2010, Monica started the season in Auckland, coming from qualifying. In the first round, she lost to fifth seed 5 Virginie Razzano, 5–7, 4–6. In doubles, she partnered Ioana Raluca Olaru, and they defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues and Carla Suárez Navarro, 7–5, 7–5. In the second round, they lost to Cara Black and Liezel Huber, 3–6, 2–6.
At the Australian Open, she lost in the first round to Jelena Janković, 4–6, 0–6. In doubles, she partnered Chan Yung-jan and defeated Monique Adamczak and Nicole Kriz, 6–3, 6–1. The pair defeated Alla Kudryavtseva and Ekaterina Makarova in the second round, 6–4, 6–4. In the third round, the lost to sixth seeds Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs, 5–7, 3–6.
Niculescu then played an ITF tournament in Midland, but lost in the first round to Eleni Daniilidou 4–6, 2–6.
In Memphis, she lost in the first round qualifying to Valérie Tétreault. In doubles, she reached the semifinals along with Riza Zalameda, losing to Vania King and Michaëlla Krajicek, 1–6, 4–6.
At Indian Wells, she lost in qualifying to Tamarine Tanasugarn. In doubles, together with Michaëlla Krajicek, she lost in first round to Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Yan Zi, 6–7, 2–6.
In Marbella failed to qualify in singles, but in doubles she partnered Sophie Lefèvre. They defeated Kristina Barrois and Ioana Raluca Olaru in the first round, 6–3, 4–6, [10–7]. However, in the second round, they lost to Virginia Ruano Pascual and Meghann Shaughnessy, 2–6, 4–6.
She made again her best in Tashkent, where she reached her first WTA semifinals but lost to Elena Vesnina.
Although in the first half of the year she was struggling between ranks 100 and 150, by the middle of the year she reached Top 100 again and ended the year as No.82 in the world, and no.2 in Romania.
2011: Consistent game, advance to Top 30
At the 2011 Australian Open, Niculescu defeated Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets, 6–0, 6–3. Facing off against the 32nd seed, Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria, Niculescu cruised through the match winning 6–4, 6–1. In the third round, she lost to the 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, 0–6, 6–7.
Niculescu defeated Patricia Mayr-Achleitner in the first round and compatriot Alexandra Dulgheru in the second round, 6–3, 6–0, to advance to the third round of the 2011 US Open. In defeating Lucie Šafářová, 6–0, 6–1, Niculescu advanced to the fourth round of a Grand Slam singles competition for the first time in her career, where she lost 4–6, 3–6 to unseeded Angelique Kerber.
At the Tier 1 China Open, she shocked the world with a dominating victory over fourth seed Li Na, 6–4, 6–0 in the first round and advanced to the semifinals, where she lost to eventual runner-up, Andrea Petkovic.
She advanced to her first WTA final at the International tournament in Luxembourg, losing to Victoria Azarenka, 2–6, 2–6. En route to the final, she spent many hours on court with a 6–7, 7–5, 7–6 first-round victory over Karin Knapp, a second-round 7–6, 3–6, 6–1 win over Anabel Medina Garrigues, and a 7–5, 4–6, 6–3 win in 3 hours over 2010 finalist Anne Keothavong in the semifinals.
The end of the year found her as No.30 in the World and No.1 in Romania.
2012: Career high, small setback, still top 60
At the Australian Open, Niculescu made it to the third round by defeating Alizé Cornet and Pauline Parmentier, but she was defeated by then–world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, 2–6, 2–6.
She reached quarterfinals in Doha, where she lost to Samantha Stosur.
Her best result was again the WTA final in Luxembourg, lost to Venus Williams.
Although in February Niculescu had reached rank No.28, her career high so far, the inconsistent results during the season made her go down to World No.58 by the end of the year.
2013: Steady position, first WTA title
Aside two WTA semifinals in Shenzhen and Monterrey, Niculescu won her first singles WTA title in Florianópolis.
She played in round 1 of all the Grand Slams, but lost the games constantly.
Yet, winning enough games and points in WTA tournaments, she kept her Top 60 position, finishing the season as No.59 in the WTA rankings.
2014: Second WTA title, Top 50 again
In all, Niculescu had an improving season, reaching round 3 at Australian Open, round 2 at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, quarterfinals in Shenzhen, Hobart and Florianópolis, and semifinals in Bucharest. The best result was her winning the WTA tournament in Guangzhou, as her second WTA title.
Thus she entered Top 50 again by the end of the year.
2015: Tough matches, steady game
Much of early 2015 was particularly difficult for Niculescu, as she often faced difficult draws. For instance she drew world #1 Serena Williams twice in a row in the second round of Indian Wells and Miami. While she managed to test Williams with a 5–7 5–7 score, she was not able to win a set against her in either match. She also suffered first round losses at Shenzen, Hobart, the Australian Open, Dubai, Prague, and the French Open.
Niculescu won the Marseille clay 100K ITF tournament in June. Shortly thereafter, she defeated first-seeded Agnieszka Radwańska 5–7, 6–4, 6–0 at the Aegon Open Nottingham WTA grass tournament to earn a place in the final where she lost to teenager Ana Konjuh 6–1 4–6 2–6. All five matches she played went to three sets. She then lost in the first round at Birmingham to the 10th seed Barbora Strýcová.
Niculescu earned a spot in the fourth round at the Wimbledon Championships for the first time, defeating Mónica Puig 5–7 6–3 6–1 (1st rd.), Jana Čepelová 6–3 6–3 (2nd rd.), and Kristýna Plíšková 6–3 7–5 (3rd rd.). This is the second time she has made it past the third round at a major. Despite winning the first set of her fourth-round match 6-1 and having a positive head-to-head record against the player, she was defeated by 15th-seeded Timea Bacsinszky, who took the next two sets at 7-5 and 6-2. Bacsinszky has seen a dramatic improvement of her results, having recently also made the semifinals at the French Open.
2016: Doubles success
Niculescu reached a career high ranking of 16 in doubles in July. She partnered with Sania Mirza to win in New Haven.
2017
Monica Niculescu started her season at Shenzhen Open with a victory, defeating Kai Lin Zhang, but she lost her second match to Wang Qiang.
Next week, Niculescu played at Hobart International where she made it to the final where she lost to Elise Mertens 3–6, 1–6.
At the Australian Open, Monica lost to Anna Blinkova in the first round. Then, Niculescu played doubles with Abigail Spears, but they lost in the first round to Andrea Petkovic and Mirjana Lučić-Baroni.
Personal life
Her mother, Cristiana Silvia Niculescu is a pharmaceutical sales representative; her father Mihai Niculescu is an engineer. Niculescu has an older sister, Gabriela, who was a professional tennis player and attended University of Idaho, after transferring from USC after her junior year.
Monica Niculescu cited Martina Hingis and Andre Agassi as her tennis idols. She enjoys shopping, movies, reading, and spending time with her family. Niculescu listed her favourite movie as The Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher.
Significant finals
Premier Mandatory/Premier 5 finals
Doubles: 2 (2 runner-ups)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2015 | Wuhan | Hard |  Irina-Camelia Begu |  Martina Hingis Sania Mirza | 2−6, 3−6 |
| Runner-up | 2016 | Canada | Hard | Simona Halep |  Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina | 3–6, 6–7(5–7) |
WTA career finals
Singles: 8 (3 titles, 5 runners-up)
| Legend (pre/post 2009) |
|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) |
| WTA Tour Championships (0–0) |
| Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0–0) |
| Tier II / Premier (0–0) |
| Tier III, IV & V / International (3–5) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 23 October 2011 | BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg | Hard (i) |  Victoria Azarenka | 2–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 21 October 2012 | BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (2) | Hard (i) |  Venus Williams | 2–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 1. | 2 March 2013 | Brasil Tennis Cup, Florianópolis, Brazil | Hard | Olga Puchkova | 6–2, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Winner | 2. | 21 September 2014 | Guangzhou International Women's Open, Guangzhou, China | Hard |  Alizé Cornet | 6–4, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 15 June 2015 | Aegon Nottingham Open, Nottingham, Great Britain | Grass |  Ana Konjuh | 6–1, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 25 September 2016 | Korea Open, Seoul, South Korea | Hard |  Lara Arruabarrena | 0–6, 6–2, 0–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 22 October 2016 | BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg | Hard (i) |  Petra Kvitová | 6–4, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 14 January 2017 | Hobart International, Hobart, Australia | Hard |  Elise Mertens | 3–6, 1–6 |
Doubles: 21 (7 titles, 14 runners-up)
| Legend (pre/post 2009) |
|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) |
| WTA Tour Championships (0–0) |
| Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0–2) |
| Tier II / Premier (1–4) |
| Tier III, IV & V / International (6–8) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 17 August 2008 | Pilot Pen Tennis, New Haven, United States | Hard | Sorana Cîrstea | Květa Peschke Lisa Raymond | 6–4, 5–7, [7–10] |
| Winner | 1. | 12 July 2009 | GDF Suez Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary | Clay | Alisa Kleybanova |  Alona Bondarenko Kateryna Bondarenko | 6–4, 7–6(7–5) |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2 August 2009 | Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, United States | Hard |  Chan Yung-jan | Serena Williams Venus Williams | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 16 January 2010 | Moorilla Hobart International, Hobart, Australia | Hard | Chan Yung-jan | Květa Peschke Chuang Chia-jung | 6–3, 3–6, [7–10] |
| Runner-up | 4. | 18 July 2010 | ECM Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic | Clay |  Ágnes Szávay | Timea Bacsinszky Tathiana Garbin | 5–7, 6–7(4–7) |
| Runner-up | 5. | 23 July 2011 | Baku Cup, Baku, Azerbaijan | Hard |  Galina Voskoboeva | Mariya Koryttseva Tatiana Poutchek | 3–6, 6–2, [8–10] |
| Winner | 2. | 14 January 2012 | Moorilla Hobart International, Hobart, Australia | Hard | Irina-Camelia Begu | Chuang Chia-jung Marina Erakovic | 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–4), [10–5] |
| Runner-up | 6. | 22 September 2012 | Guangzhou International Women's Open, Guangzhou, China | Hard |  Jarmila Gajdošová |  Tamarine Tanasugarn Zhang Shuai | 6–2, 2–6, [8–10] |
| Runner-up | 7. | 21 October 2012 | BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg | Hard (i) | Irina-Camelia Begu | Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 22 June 2013 | Aegon International, Eastbourne, United Kingdom | Grass | Klára Koukalová | Nadia Petrova Katarina Srebotnik | 3-6, 3-6 |
| Winner | 3. | 4 January 2014 | Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China | Hard | Klára Koukalová | Lyudmyla Kichenok Nadiia Kichenok | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 4. | 11 January 2014 | Moorilla Hobart International, Hobart, Australia | Hard | Klára Koukalová | Lisa Raymond Zhang Shuai | 6–2, 6–7(5–7), [10–8] |
| Runner-up | 9. | 13 April 2014 | BNP Paribas Katowice Open, Katowice, Poland | Hard (i) | Klára Koukalová | Yuliya Beygelzimer Olga Savchuk | 4–6, 7–5, [7–10] |
| Runner-up | 10. | 17 January 2015 | Moorilla Hobart International, Hobart, Australia | Hard | Vitalia Diatchenko |  Kiki Bertens Johanna Larsson | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 11. | 3 October 2015 | Wuhan Open, Wuhan, China | Hard | Irina-Camelia Begu | Martina Hingis Sania Mirza | 2−6, 3−6 |
| Runner-up | 12. | 24 October 2015 | Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia | Hard (i) | Irina-Camelia Begu | Daria Kasatkina Elena Vesnina | 3–6, 7–6(9–7), [5–10] |
| Winner | 5. | 9 January 2016 | Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China | Hard | Vania King | Xu Yifan Zheng Saisai | 6−1, 6−4 |
| Winner | 6. | 24 July 2016 | Citi Open, Washington, D.C., United States | Hard | Yanina Wickmayer |  Shuko Aoyama Risa Ozaki | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 13. | 31 July 2016 | Rogers Cup, Montréal, Canada | Hard | Simona Halep | Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina | 3–6, 6–7(5–7) |
| Winner | 7. | 27 August 2016 | Connecticut Open, New Haven, United States | Hard | Sania Mirza | Kateryna Bondarenko Chuang Chia-jung | 7–5, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 14. | 22 October 2016 | Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg | Hard (i) | Patricia Maria Țig | Kiki Bertens Johanna Larsson | 6–4, 5–7, [9–11] |
ITF finals (39 titles, 21 runner–up)
Singles (18 titles, 5 runner–up)
|
|
| Outcome | No. | Datexf | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 12 August 2002 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay |  Tsvetana Pironkova | 6–1, 7–6(7–4) |
| Winner | 2. | 9 April 2003 | Cavtat, Croatia | Clay | Darija Jurak | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Winner | 3. | 25 August 2003 | Timișoara, Romania | Clay | Veronica Rizhik | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 4. | 9 February 2004 | Albufeira, Portugal | Hard | Irina Kotkina | 6–1, 3–6, 6–0 |
| Winner | 5. | 16 February 2004 | Portimao, Portugal | Hard | Nadja Pavic | 6–4, 7–6(7–4) |
| Winner | 6. | 17 May 2004 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Simona Matei | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 7. | 16 August 2004 | Iași, Romania | Clay | Raluca Olaru | 7–6(7–5), 6–0 |
| Winner | 8. | 15 March 2005 | Cairo, Egypt | Clay | Galina Fokina | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 9. | 21 March 2005 | Ain Alsoukhna, Egypt | Clay |  Magdaléna Rybáriková | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 10. | 9 May 2005 | Antalya, Turkey | Clay |  Ekaterina Dzehalevich | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 11. | 15 August 2005 | Coimbra, Portugal | Hard | Aravane Rezaï | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 3 July 2006 | Stuttgart, Germany | Clay | Yevgenia Savranska | 6-7(4–7), 5–7 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 17 July 2006 | Darmstadt, Germany | Clay | Magda Mihalache | 0–6, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 8 August 2006 | Coimbra, Portugal | Hard |  Kelly Liggan | 0–6, 6-7(7–9) |
| Winner | 12. | 24 September 2007 | Granada, Spain | Hard | María José Martínez Sánchez | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 13. | 22 October 2007 | Istanbul, Turkey | Hard (i) | Oxana Lyubtsova | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Winner | 14. | 5 November 2007 | Port Pirie, Australia | Hard | Hwang I-hsuan | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Winner | 15. | 19 November 2007 | Mount Gambier, Australia | Hard |  Ye-Ra Lee | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 3 November 2008 | Krakow, Poland | Hard (i) |  Anne Keothavong | 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 19 July 2010 | Petange, Luxembourg | Clay | Mathilde Johansson | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 16. | 19 November 2012 | Nantes, France | Hard (i) | Yulia Putintseva | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 17. | 1 June 2015 | Marseille, France | Clay | Pauline Parmentier | 6–2, 7–5 |
| Winner | 18. | 26 October 2015 | Poitiers, France | Hard (i) | Pauline Parmentier | 7–5, 6–2 |
Doubles (21–16)
|
|
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 12 August 2002 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Radoslava Topalova Virginia Trifonova | 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Winner | 1. | 26 August 2002 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Iveta Gerlova Nina Nittinger | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 10 March 2003 | Makarska, Croatia | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu |  Stefanie Haidner Daniela Klemenschits | 6–3, 6–7(7–9), 4–6 |
| Winner | 2. | 31 March 2003 | Makarska, Croatia | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Darija Jurak Maria Jedlickova | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 14 April 2003 | Dubrovnik, Croatia | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu |  Mervana Jugic-Salkic Darija Jurak | 2–6, 6–4, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 11 August 2003 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Anna Bastrikova Elena Vesnina | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 11 August 2003 | Timișoara, Romania | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Julia Acs Vasilisa Davydova | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 17 May 2004 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Lenore Lazaroiu Andra Savu | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 4. | 13 July 2004 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Liana Ungur Iris Ichim | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Winner | 5. | 9 August 2004 | Târgu Mureș, Romania | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Simona Matei Barbara Pocza | 7–5, 6–1 |
| Winner | 6. | 16 August 2004 | Iași, Romania | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Nadine Schlotterer Eva Valkova | 7–5, 6–1 |
| Winner | 7. | 15 March 2005 | Cairo, Egypt | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Hanna Andreyeva Valeria Bondarenko | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 8. | 15 March 2005 | Ain El Soukhna, Egypt | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Laura-Ramona Husaru Sarah Raab | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 11 April 2005 | Civitavecchia, Italy | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Lucie Hradecka Sandra Zahlavova | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 9. | 02 May 2005 | Antalya, Turkey | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Irina Buryachok Olga Panova | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 9. | 9 May 2005 | Antalya, Turkey | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Renata Kucerkova Kathrin Woerle-Scheller | 6–7, 6–0, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 15 October 2005 | Sevilla, Spain | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Sara Errani María José Martínez Sánchez | 2–6, 6–7(5-7) |
| Runner-up | 8. | 3 April 2006 | Athens, Greece | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu |  Olga Brozda Margit Ruutel | 6–2, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 10. | 09 May 2006 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Sorana Cirstea Diana Buzean | 6–3, 6–0 |
| Winner | 11. | 20 June 2006 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Gabriela Niculescu | Raluca Ciulei Neda Kozic | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Winner | 12. | 3 July 2006 | Stuttgart, Germany | Clay | Renata Voráčová | Eva Fislova Stanislava Hrozenska | 6–2, 6–7(4-7), 7–5 |
| Winner | 13. | 17 July 2006 | Darmstadt, Germany | Clay | Yevgenia Savranska | Daniela Klemenschits Sandra Klemenschits | 1–6, 6–0, 6–1 |
| Winner | 14. | 4 September 2006 | Mestre, Italy | Clay | Renata Voráčová |  Margalita Chakhnashvili-Ranzinger Tatjana Maria | 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Winner | 14. | 2 April 2007 | Putignano, Italy | Hard | Andreja Klepač | Jessica Kirkland Carmen Klaschka | 6–2, 7–5 |
| Runners-up | 9. | 17 July 2006 | Jounieh, Lebanon | Clay | Madalina Gojnea | Tatiana Poutchek Anastasiya Yakimova | 7–5, 6–0 |
| Winner | 15. | 10 July 2007 | Darmstadt, Germany | Clay | Ekaterina Dzehalevich | Hilary Barte Tatjana Priachin | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Runners-up | 10. | 31 July 2007 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Ekaterina Dzehalevich | Sorana Cirstea Ágnes Szatmári | 6–0, 4–6, w/o |
| Runners-up | 11. | 17 September 2007 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Yevgenia Savranska | María José Martínez Sánchez Arantxa Parra Santonja | 6–1, 6–7(4–7) |
| Runners-up | 12. | 10 July 2007 | Granada, Spain | Clay | Alexandra Dulgheru | Marta Marrero María José Martínez Sánchez | 4–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 16. | 19 November 2007 | Mount Gambier, Australia | Hard | Antonia Matic | Sophie Ferguson Trudi Musgrave | 5–7, 6–3, [10-8] |
| Winner | 17. | 10 December 2007 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Hard | Marina Eraković | Yuliana Fedak Anna Lapushchenkova | 7–6(7–1), 6–4 |
| Runners-up | 13. | 20 October 2008 | Poitiers, France | Hard (i) |  Akgul Amanmuradova | Petra Cetkovská Lucie Šafářová | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Runners-up | 14. | 27 October 2008 | Bratislava, Slovakia | Hard (i) | Akgul Amanmuradova | Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká | 6–7(1–7), 1–6 |
| Runners-up | 15. | 5 July 2010 | Biarritz, France | Clay | Lourdes Domínguez Lino |  Sharon Fichman Julia Görges | 5–7, 4–6 |
| Winner | 18. | 19 July 2010 | Petange, Luxembourg | Clay | Sharon Fichman | Sophie Lefèvre Laura Thorpe | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Runners-up | 16. | 5 July 2013 | Poitiers, France | Hard (i) | Christina McHale | Lucie Hradecká Michaëlla Krajicek | 6–7(5–7), 6–2 |
| Winner | 19. | 5 July 2013 | Poitiers, France | Hard (i) | Cristina-Andreea Mitu | Stéphanie Foretz Amandine Hesse | 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–2), [10–8] |
Singles performance timeline
Updated up to 2016 French Open.
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | W–L | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 3R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 8–9 | ||||||||
| French Open | A | A | 1R | 1R | Q3 | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1–8 | ||||||||
| Wimbledon | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 2R | 7–9 | ||||||||
| US Open | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 7–9 | ||||||||
| Win–Loss | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1–4 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 6–4 | 2–4 | 0–4 | 4−4 | 4−4 | 4−4 | 23–35 | ||||||||
| Year-End Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||
| WTA Tour Championships | Did Not Qualify | 0–0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Summer Olympics | Not Held | A | Not Held | A | Not Held | 2R | 1–0 | |||||||||||||
| WTA Premier Mandatory Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | A | A | A | 1R | LQ | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 5–7 | ||||||||
| Miami | A | A | A | 1R | A | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 4–7 | ||||||||
| Madrid | Not Held | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | Q1 | 1R | LQ | 1R | 0–5 | ||||||||||
| Beijing | Not Tier I | A | Q1 | SF | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | LQ | 6–5 | ||||||||||
| WTA Premier 5 Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Doha | Not Tier I | 2R | Not Held | NP5 | QF | 2R | 3R | NP5 | 3R | 9–5 | ||||||||||
| Rome | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | A | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | 1R | 1–5 | ||||||||
| Canada | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | LQ | Absent | 2R | 2–4 | |||||||||||
| Cincinnati | Not Tier I | A | 2R | 1R | A | 2R | LQ | Q1 | Q1 | 2–3 | ||||||||||
| Wuhan | Not Held | 2R | A | 1-1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Dubai | Not Tier I | 2R | A | LQ | Not Premier 5 | 1R | NP5 | 1–2 | ||||||||||||
| Tokyo | Absent | 1R | A | NP5 | 0–1 | |||||||||||||||
| Year-End ranking | 222 | 179 | 47 | 101 | 83 | 30 | 58 | 60 | 47 | 39 | 39 | |||||||||
Doubles performance timeline
Updated up to 2016 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | W-L | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | |||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | Absent | 2R | 3R | 2R | QF | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 11–8 | |||||||
| French Open | Absent | 2R | 3R | QF | 3R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | A | 12–8 | ||||||
| Wimbledon | Absent | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 8–9 | ||||||
| US Open | Absent | 2R | 3R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 9–9 | ||||||
| Win–Loss | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3–3 | 7–4 | 8–4 | 4–4 | 5–4 | 4–4 | 4-4 | 3–4 | 2–3 | 40–34 | |||||
| Year-End Championship | |||||||||||||||||
| WTA Tour Championships | Did Not Qualify | 0–0 | |||||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | |||||||||||||||||
| Summer Olympics | Not Held | A | Not Held | A | Not Held | 0–0 | |||||||||||
| WTA Premier Mandatory Tournaments | |||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | Absent | QF | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 5–8 | |||||||
| Miami | Absent | 1R | 2R | 2R | SF | 1R | 2R | QF | SF | 12–8 | |||||||
| Madrid | NH | NH | NH | 2R | A | 1R | 2R | A | 2R | 1R | 3–5 | ||||||
| Beijing | Tier | Tier | Tier | Absent | 1R | 1R | Absent | 1R | 0–3 | ||||||||
| WTA Premier 5 Tournaments | |||||||||||||||||
| Dubai | Not Premier 5 | QF | A | 2R | Not Premier 5 | QF | NP5 | 5–3 | |||||||||
| Doha | Absent | QF | Not Held | NP5 | 1R | Absent | NP5 | 2R | 3–3 | ||||||||
| Rome | Absent | 1R | QF | 2R | 2R | SF | 7–5 | ||||||||||
| Cincinnati | Absent | 1R | SF | QF | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 5–7 | |||||||
| Montreal/Toronto | Absent | 1R | 1R | SF | 2R | Absent | F | 4–4 | |||||||||
| Tokyo | Absent | 1R | A | NP5 | 0–1 | ||||||||||||
| Wuhan | Not Held | 1R | F | 3-2 | |||||||||||||
| Year-End ranking | 159 | 131 | 35 | 30 | 30 | 50 | 27 | 70 | 38 | 33 | |||||||
WTA Tour career earnings
| Year | Grand Slam singles titles | WTA singles titles | Total singles titles | Earnings ($) | Money list rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6,343 | 493 |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9,073 | 433 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ? | ? |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ? | ? |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ? | ? |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 249,035 | 67 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 315,414 | 67 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 251,188 | 77 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 549,493 | 38 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 450,393 | 45 |
| 2013 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 406,372 | 62 |
| 2014 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 582,694 | 44 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 667,180 | ? |
| 2016* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 335,909 | 37 |
| Career* | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3,480,360 | 97 |
*As of May 23, 2016
Record against other players
Niculescu's win-loss record against certain players who have been ranked World No. 10 or higher is as follows:
| Player | Record | Win % | Hard | Clay | Grass | Last Match | |
| Number 1 ranked players | |||||||
| Victoria Azarenka | 0–5 | 0% | 0–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 | Loss (1–6, 4–6) at 2013 Australian Open | |
| Kim Clijsters | 0–1 | 0% | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | Loss (5–7, 5–7) at 2011 's-Hertogenbosch | |
| Ana Ivanovic | 0–2 | 0% | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | Loss (5–7, 3–6) at 2012 Linz | |
| Jelena Janković | 2–5 | 29% | 2–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 | Won (3-6, 6–4, 7-5) at 2016 Doha | |
| Amélie Mauresmo | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (1–6, 2–6) at 2009 Paris | |
| Serena Williams | 0–2 | 0% | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (4–6, 1–6) at 2015 Miami | |
| Venus Williams | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (2–6, 3–6) at 2012 Luxembourg | |
 Caroline Wozniacki | 0–6 | 0% | 0–6 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (3–6, 1–6) at 2013 Luxembourg | |
| Number 2 ranked players | |||||||
| Simona Halep | 0–2 | 0% | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | Loss (2–6, 6–4, 1–6) at 2014 Bucharest | |
| Angelique Kerber | 1–3 | 25% | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (6–0, 1–6, 2-6) at 2013 Linz | |
| Petra Kvitová | 1–2 | 33% | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | Loss (6–2, 6–7(5–7), 2-6) at 2016 Stuttgart | |
| Na Li | 1–1 | 50% | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (5–7, 6–4, 4–6 ) at 2012 Shenzhen | |
| Agnieszka Radwańska | 1–4 | 20% | 0–4 | 0–0 | 1–0 | Loss (1–6, 5–7) at 2016 Montréal | |
| Vera Zvonareva | 1–1 | 50% | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Won (7–5, 3–2 RET) at 2012 Doha | |
| Number 3 ranked players | |||||||
| Number 4 ranked players | |||||||
| Kimiko Date-Krumm | 1–1 | 50% | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Won (6–2, 2–1 RET) at 2013 Monterrey | |
| Francesca Schiavone | 0–4 | 0% | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | Loss (3–6, 5–7) at 2012 Stuttgart | |
| Samantha Stosur | 0–7 | 0% | 0–7 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (3–6, 2–6) at 2015 Beijing | |
| Number 5 ranked players | |||||||
| Anna Chakvetadze | 1–1 | 50% | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (0–6, 4–6) at 2012 Hobart | |
| Sara Errani | 1–4 | 20% | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | Loss (7–5, 1–6, 2-6) at 2015 Bucharest | |
| Daniela Hantuchová | 1–0 | 100% | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Won (6–1, 6–3) at 2012 Luxembourg | |
| Lucie Šafářová | 2–0 | 100% | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Won (6–2, 6–0) at 2012 Beijing | |
| Number 6 ranked players | |||||||
| Flavia Pennetta | 0–3 | 0% | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | Loss (1–6, 4–6) at 2015 US Open | |
| Carla Suárez Navarro | 0–5 | 0% | 0–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 | Loss (7-5, 3-6, 4–6) at 2015 Wuhan | |
| Number 7 ranked players | |||||||
| Marion Bartoli | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (6-2, 3–6, 2–6) at 2011 Indian Wells | |
| Karolína Plíšková | 2–1 | 67% | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (4-6, 6–4, 3–6) at 2016 Fed Cup | |
| Patty Schnyder | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (1-6, 5–7) at 2008 Montréal | |
| Roberta Vinci | 0–1 | 0% | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | Loss (3–6, 7–6(7–4), 0-6) at 2012 's-Hertogenbosch | |
| Number 8 ranked players | |||||||
| Ekaterina Makarova | 1–4 | 20% | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | Loss (7-5, 6-7(3–7), 3-6) at 2014 Indian Wells | |
| Alicia Molik | 0–1 | 0% | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | Loss (6-4, 6-7(5–7), 0-6) at 2010 Barcelona | |
| Number 9 ranked players | |||||||
| Timea Bacsinszky | 4–3 | 57% | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | Loss (6-4, 2-6, 1-6) at 2016 Wimbledon | |
| Madison Keys | 1–0 | 100% | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Won (6–1, 2–6, 7-6(8–6)) at 2013 Washington | |
| Andrea Petkovic | 2–3 | 40% | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | Loss (6-0, 6-7(1–7), 3-6) at 2016 Fed Cup | |
| Number 10 ranked players | |||||||
| Dominika Cibulková | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (4–6, 3-6) at 2008 Los Angeles | |
| Maria Kirilenko | 2–2 | 50% | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Loss (3-6, 0-6) at 2012 Dubai | |
| Total | 25–79 | 24.04% | 19–59 | 5–14 | 1–6 | – | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Top 10 wins per season
| Season | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | Total |
| Wins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Round | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | |||||||
| 1. | Li Na | No. 5 | Beijing, China | Hard | 1st Round | 6–4, 6–0 | |
| 2012 | |||||||
| 2. | Vera Zvonareva | No. 8 | Doha, Qatar | Hard | 2nd Round | 7–5, 3–2 ret. | |
| 2016 | |||||||
| 3. | Petra Kvitová | No. 9 | Fed Cup, Cluj-Napoca, Romania | Hard (i) | RR | 6–3, 6–4 | |
