Qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse had already played 5 hours and 38 minutes by the time she stepped on court to face No. 8 seed Barbora Krejcikova at the US Open on Wednesday. But Ruse looked fresh and fit for the Round 2 match—as well as undaunted by the fact that Krejcikova’s ranking was No. 8, compared to her No. 122. Or that her opponent was the woman crowned the singles champion at Wimbledon just over a months ago.
Ruse beat Krejcikova in two efficient sets (6-4, 7-5), setting herself up for a Round 3 clash with the surging Paula Badosa, seeded No. 25, as both seek a second-week berth at the US Open for the first time.
Before that happens, here’s what you need to know about this 26-year-old native of Bucharest.
She has two wins over Top 10 players
That’s the bad news. But the good news is that one of them is her next opponent (though former world No. 2 Badosa is currently ranked No. 29).
At the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in 2022, the only time they’ve met, Ruse defeated Badosa, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. That year, Ruse would see her ranking rise to a career high of No. 51.
The other player is, of course, Krejcikova. Which means—more good news—that since arriving in New York, Ruse has doubled her wins-over-Top-10-players tally.
She’s a crafty qualifier
Ruse tends to like having extra matches: To win her maiden WTA tournament in 2021, she came through qualies to eventually lift the trophy by defeating Andrea Petkovic in Hamburg. There was a similar story in Palermo that year, where her run ended in a loss to Danielle Collins in the final.
More recently, after qualifying to play in Rouen in February, Ruse advanced to the quarterfinals, beating No. 7 seed Caroline Garcia along the way.
She “adores” New York City
Even while life inside the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has kept her busy, Ruse has chronicled her love affair with the Big Apple on social media. This year, her father, a former footballer, has joined her for the journey.
“I think my father is the lucky charm,” Ruse said after defeating Krejcikova. “It’s his first time in the U.S.! I’m super happy to be with him here; it’s been some very emotional days for me here.”
She calls herself “Gabi”
Instagram posts suggest that she seems to favor Gabi over the double-barreled moniker, Elena-Gabriela. Just don’t confuse her surname with that the Dutch player Arantxa Rus, a common-enough occurance online.
She’s the last Romanian standing
Simona Halep. Sorana Cîrstea. Monica Niculescu. Ana Bogdan. These Romanian women, past and present, may have more name recognition than Ruse, but she’s the sole Romanian player, female or male, into the third round of singles play.
For extra credit, Ruse is one of just two female qualifiers left in the singles draw. The other one, Jessika Ponchet from France, benefitted from a walkover from No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina on Thursday to advance to Round 3.
