# Virginia Ruzici

Virginia Ruzici (born 31 January 1955) is a Romanian former professional tennis player. 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. She appeared in the French Open singles final 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 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 was the manager of Romanian tennis player Simona Halep until 2022.

## Grand Slam tournament finals
### Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner–up)

| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Win | 1978 | French Open | Clay | Mima Jaušovec | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1980 | French Open | Clay | Chris Evert | 0–6, 3–6 |

### Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner–up)

| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Win | 1978 | French Open | Clay | Mima Jaušovec | Gail Sherriff Lovera Lesley Turner Bowrey | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1978 | Wimbledon | Grass | Mima Jaušovec | Kerry Melville Reid Wendy Turnbull | 6–4, 8–9$^{(8)}$, 3–6 |

### Mixed doubles: 2 (2 runner-ups)

| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 1978 | French Open | Clay | Patrice Dominguez | Renáta Tomanová Pavel Složil | 6–4, 6–7, ret. |
| Loss | 1979 | French Open | Clay | Ion Țiriac | Wendy Turnbull Bob Hewitt | 3–6, 6–2, 3–6 |

## WTA career finals
### Singles: 27 (12–15)

* Legend
* Grand Slam tournaments (1–1)
* WTA Championships (0–0)
* Virginia Slims, Avon, other (11–14)
* Finals by surface
* Hard (1–2)
* Grass (0–1)
* Clay (9–10)
* Carpet (2–2)
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Win | 1–0 | Aug 1975 | South Orange, Canada | Clay | Mariana Simionescu | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Jul 1976 | Austrian Open | Clay | Wendy Turnbull | 4–6, 7–5, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Oct 1976 | Spanish Open | Clay | Renáta Tomanová | 6–3, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 2–2 | Sep 1977 | Eckerd Open, U.S. | Clay | Laura duPont | 6–4, 4–6, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2–3 | May 1978 | German Open | Clay | Mima Jaušovec | 2–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–4 | May 1978 | Italian Open | Clay | Regina Maršíková | 5–7, 5–7 |
| Win | 3–4 | May 1978 | French Open | Clay | Mima Jaušovec | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 4–4 | Jul 1978 | Austrian Open | Clay | Sylvia Hanika | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 4–5 | Aug 1978 | Canadian Open | Hard | Regina Maršíková | 5–7, 7–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 5–5 | Oct 1978 | Brighton Challenge, UK | Carpet (i) | Betty Stöve | 5–7, 6–2, 7–5 |
| Loss | 5–6 | Feb 1979 | VS Detroit | Carpet (i) | Wendy Turnbull | 5–7, 6–1, 6–7$^{(4)}$ |
| Loss | 5–7 | Dec 1979 | Adelaide, Australia | Grass | Hana Mandlíková | 5–7, 2–2 ret. |
| Loss | 5–8 | May 1980 | Italian Open | Clay | Chris Evert | 7–5, 2–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 5–9 | May 1980 | French Open | Clay | Chris Evert | 0–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 6–9 | Jul 1980 | Austrian Open | Clay | Hana Mandlíková | 3–6, 6–1, ret. |
| Loss | 6–10 | Aug 1980 | Canadian Open | Hard | Chris Evert | 3–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 7–10 | Sep 1980 | VS Salt Lake City, U.S. | Hard | Ivanna Madruga | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Loss | 7–11 | Nov 1980 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Carpet (i) | Hana Mandlíková | 7–5, 2–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 7–12 | May 1981 | Italian Open | Clay | Chris Evert | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 7–13 | May 1981 | European Open | Clay | Chris Evert | 1–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 7–14 | Aug 1981 | U.S. Clay Courts | Clay | Andrea Jaeger | 1–6, 0–6 |
| Win | 8–14 | Jul 1982 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Bonnie Gadusek | 6–2, 7–6 |
| Win | 9–14 | Jul 1982 | Austrian Open | Clay | Lea Plchová | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 10–14 | Aug 1982 | U.S. Clay Courts | Clay | Helena Suková | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Win | 11–14 | Oct 1983 | VS Detroit, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Kathy Jordan | 4–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 11–15 | Apr 1985 | Seabrook Island, U.S. | Clay | Katerina Maleeva | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 12–15 | Jul 1985 | Austrian Open | Clay | Mima Jaušovec | 6–2, 6–3 |

### Doubles: 35 (16–19)

* Legend
* Grand Slam tournaments (1–1)
* WTA Championships (0–0)
* Virginia Slims, Avon, other (15–18)
* Finals by surface
* Hard (2–1)
* Grass (1–1)
* Clay (10–11)
* Carpet (3–6)
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 1. | 11 November 1973 | London, UK | Carpet (i) | Mariana Simionescu | Lesley Charles Glynis Coles | 3–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 1. | 4 November 1974 | Edinburgh Cup, UK | Carpet (i) | Mima Jaušovec | María-Isabel Fernández Raquel Giscafré | 6–4, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 2. | 8 March 1976 | Tallahassee, U.S. | Clay | Mariana Simionescu | Julie Anthony Dianne Fromholtz | 2–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 3. | 23 May 1976 | Italian Open | Clay | Mariana Simionescu | Linky Boshoff Ilana Kloss | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 2. | 18 October 1976 | Spanish Open | Clay | Florența Mihai | Nathalie Fuchs Michele Gurdal | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Loss | 4. | 24 January 1977 | Minneapolis Indoors, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Mima Jaušovec | Rosie Casals Martina Navratilova | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 3. | 15 May 1978 | German Open | Clay | Mima Jaušovec | Katja Ebbinghaus Helga Niessen Masthoff | 6–4, 5–7, 6–0 |
| Win | 4. | 22 May 1978 | Italian Open | Clay | Mima Jaušovec | Florența Mihai Betsy Nagelsen | 6–2, 2–6, 7–6 |
| Win | 5. | 29 May 1978 | French Open | Clay | Mima Jaušovec | Gail Sherriff Lovera Lesley Turner Bowrey | 5–7, 6–4, 8–6 |
| Loss | 5. | 26 June 1978 | Wimbledon, UK | Grass | Mima Jaušovec | Kerry Melville Reid Wendy Turnbull | 6–4, 8–9$^{(8)}$, 3–6 |
| Win | 6. | 24 July 1978 | Austrian Open | Clay | Renáta Tomanová | Regina Maršíková Florența Mihai | 7–5, 6–2 |
| Loss | 6. | 23 October 1978 | Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Germany | Carpet (i) | Mima Jaušovec | Tracy Austin Betty Stöve | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 7. | 1 January 1979 | VS Washington, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Mima Jaušovec | Renée Richards Sharon Walsh | 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Loss | 7. | 18 July 1979 | Austrian Open | Clay | Elly Appel-Vessies | Helena Anliot Dianne Evers | 0–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 8. | 22 October 1979 | Tampa Open, U.S. | Hard | Anne Smith | Ilana Kloss Betty Ann Stuart | 7–5, 4–6, 7–5 |
| Win | 9. | 10 December 1979 | Adelaide, Australia | Grass | Hana Mandlíková | Sue Barker Pam Shriver | 6–1, 3–6, 6–2 |
| Loss | 8. | 4 August 1980 | U.S. Clay Courts | Clay | Renáta Tomanová | Anne Smith Paula Smith | 4–6, 6–3, 4–6 |
| Win | 10. | 8 September 1980 | VS Salt Lake City, U.S. | Hard | Pam Teeguarden | Barbara Jordan JoAnne Russell | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Win | 11. | 27 October 1980 | Stockholm Open, Sweden | Carpet (i) | Mima Jaušovec | Hana Mandlíková Betty Stöve | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Loss | 9. | 16 March 1981 | VS Boston, U.S. | Carpet (i) | JoAnne Russell | Barbara Potter Sharon Walsh | 7–6, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 10. | 4 May 1981 | Italian Open | Clay | Chris Evert | Candy Reynolds Paula Smith | 5–7, 1–6 |
| Win | 12. | 3 August 1981 | U.S. Clay Courts | Clay | JoAnne Russell | Sue Barker Paula Smith | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 11. | 5 April 1982 | Hilton Head Island, U.S. | Clay | JoAnne Russell | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 12. | 10 May 1982 | European Open | Clay | JoAnne Russell | Candy Reynolds Paula Smith | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 13. | 12 July 1982 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Catherine Tanvier | Patricia Medrado Cláudia Monteiro | 7–6, 6–2 |
| Loss | 13. | 2 August 1982 | U.S. Clay Courts | Clay | JoAnne Russell | Ivanna Madruga Catherine Tanvier | 5–7, 6–7$^{(3)}$ |
| Loss | 14. | 6 December 1982 | European Open | Carpet (i) | JoAnne Russell | Rosie Casals Candy Reynolds | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 15. | 11 April 1983 | Amelia Island Championships, U.S. | Clay | Hana Mandlíková | Rosalyn Fairbank Candy Reynolds | 4–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 14. | 2 May 1983 | Italian Open | Clay | Virginia Wade | Ivanna Madruga Catherine Tanvier | 6–3, 2–6, 6–1 |
| Win | 15. | 1 August 1983 | U.S. Clay Courts | Clay | Kathy Horvath | Gigi Fernández Beth Herr | 4–6, 7–6$^{(6)}$, 6–2 |
| Loss | 16. | 8 August 1983 | LA Championships, U.S. | Hard | Betsy Nagelsen | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 1–6, 0–6 |
| Loss | 17. | 24 October 1983 | Porsche Grand Prix, Germany | Carpet (i) | Catherine Tanvier | Martina Navratilova Candy Reynolds | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 18. | 14 May 1984 | German Open | Clay | Kathy Horvath | Anne Hobbs Candy Reynolds | 3–6, 6–4, 6–7$^{(11)}$ |
| Loss | 19. | 21 May 1984 | Italian Open | Clay | Kathy Horvath | Iva Budařová Helena Suková | 6–7$^{(5)}$, 6–1, 4–6 |
| Win | 16. | 15 July 1985 | Austrian Open | Clay | Mima Jaušovec | Andrea Holíková Kateřina Skronská | 6–2, 6–3 |

## Other finals
### Singles (8–4)

| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 1. | 1 October 1972 | Cluj, Romania | Clay | Judith Gohn | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2. | 12 May 1974 | Stuttgart, West Germany | Clay | Alena Palmeová-West | 3–6, 6–4, 7–5 |
| Win | 3. | 23 September 1974 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Mariana Simionescu | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 4. | 16 July 1978 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Petra Jauch-Delhees | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 5. | 6 August 1978 | Brașov, Romania | Clay | Renáta Tomanová | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 6. | 13 July 1980 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Sylvia Hanika | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 7. | 20 July 1980 | Båstad, Sweden | Clay | Nina Bohm | 6–2, 7–5 |
| Loss | 8. | 2 August 1981 | Orange, New Jersey, U.S. | Clay | Kathleen Horvath | 0–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 9. | 18 April 1982 | Nassau, Bahamas | Hard | Bettina Bunge | 0–6, 6–7 |
| Loss | 10. | 11 July 1982 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 5–7, 6–1, 6–7 |
| Win | 11. | 1 August 1982 | Orange, New Jersey, U.S. | Clay | Leigh-Anne Thompson | 5–7, 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 12. | 17 July 1983 | Båstad, Sweden | Hard | Carin Anderholm | 6–2, 6–3 |

### Doubles (5–0)

| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Win | 1. | 1 October 1972 | Cluj, Romania | Clay | Mariana Simionescu | Felicia Bucur Judith Gohn | 4–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Win | 2. | 23 September 1974 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Mariana Simionescu | Florența Mihai Simona Nunweiler | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 3. | 17 October 1976 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Florența Mihai | Regina Maršíková Renáta Tomanová | 6–4, 5–7, 6–2 |
| Win | 4. | 11 July 1982 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Catherine Tanvier | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Heidi Eisterlehner | 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 5. | 19 January 1987 | Bayonne, France | Hard | Catherine Tanvier | Iwona Kuczyńska Corinne Vanier | 6–3, 6–2 |

## Grand Slam singles performance

Key :
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | Career SR |
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | QF | 1R | A | A | A | A | NH | A | 0 / 3 |
| French Open | 1R | 2R | 2R | SF | A | A | W | QF | F | QF | QF | 3R | 4R | 1R | A | 2R | 1 / 13 |
| Wimbledon | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | QF | 4R | 2R | QF | 4R | 4R | 2R | 2R | A | A | 0 / 13 |
| US Open | A | 1R | 1R | QF | 4R | 4R | QF | A | 4R | 3R | 4R | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | A | 0 / 11 |
| SR | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 1 / 40 |
| Year-end ranking | | | 112 | 26 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 44 | 41 | NR | 143 |
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.