Romanian tennis player Irina Begu won the 33rd Palermo Ladies Open on Sunday, July 24, thus claiming her fifth career singles title. She beat Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

Following Sunday's win, Begu climbed 12 spots in the WTA singles ranking, being at number 33 in the new top released on Monday, July 25. She is thus the second best-ranked player for Romania at the moment, after Simona Halep (16th).

Irina Begu thanked her team during the presentation ceremony. "Without you guys, I wouldn't have this trophy, so thank you again," she said while hoisting the Palermo Ladies Open cup, according to Wtatennis.com.

Next, Begu has a chance to keep her winning streak going at the BNP Paribas Poland Open in Warsaw, where she is the No.4 seed. The tournament starts today, July 25.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Mircea Nicolescu/Dreamstime.com)