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Ioana Raluca Olaru (born 3 March 1989) is a Romanian former professional tennis player. The winner of eleven singles and fifteen doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit,[1] Olaru reached one WTA Tour singles final, at the 2009 Gastein Ladies,[2] losing to Andrea Petkovic, in straight sets.[3] She also won eleven doubles titles on WTA Tour tournaments.

Raluca Olaru
Olaru at the 2020 French Open
Full nameIoana Raluca Olaru
Country (sports) Romania
ResidenceBucharest, Romania
Born (1989-03-03) 3 March 1989 (age 35)
Bucharest
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Turned pro2003
Retired2024
PlaysRight-handed (two–handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$ 1,770,957
Singles
Career record258–186
Career titles11 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 53 (27 July 2009)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open1R (2008, 2010)
French Open3R (2007)
Wimbledon2R (2009, 2010)
US Open2R (2007, 2008)
Doubles
Career record337–273
Career titles11 WTA, 15 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 30 (31 January 2022)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open2R (2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022)
French OpenQF (2017)
Wimbledon3R (2021, 2022)
US Open3R (2015, 2021)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsAlt (2021)
Olympic Games2R (2016, 2020)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open1R (2022)
French Open2R (2019)
WimbledonQF (2019)
US OpenQF (2018)
Team competitions
Fed Cup6–11

Olaru was a successful junior player. She was the runner–up in both junior singles and doubles at the 2005 French Open,[4] and captured the 2006 US Open doubles title along with Mihaela Buzărnescu. Her best professional Grand Slam result has been the third round of the 2007 French Open, when she defeated the 30th seed Julia Vakulenko, in straight sets, and lost to eventual runner–up, the seventh seed Ana Ivanovic.[5] Olaru reached her highest singles ranking, world No. 53, on 27 July 2009, and her best doubles ranking, No. 30, on 31 January 2022.[1]

Olaru announced her retirement from tennis in June 2024.[6]

Personal life

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Ioana Raluca Olaru resides in her hometown Bucharest.[7] Her parents, Adrian and Doina, run a convenience store together.[8] Her sister Cristina is 16 years older than Olaru, and lives in London.[8] Olaru began playing tennis aged seven,[7] and cites Kim Clijsters,[9] Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer as her role models.[8] She graduated from school in 2007, and is fluent in English, Spanish and Romanian.[citation needed]

Tennis career

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Raluca started her 2017 season at Shenzhen Open where she reached the final with Olga Savchuk, but they lost 1–6, 5–7 to Peng Shuai and Andrea Hlaváčková. The following week, Olaru with Olga Savchuk won the doubles title at the Hobart International, it was her sixth WTA Tour doubles title.

Playing style

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Olaru considers being a fighter as her biggest asset.[8] She cites clay as her favourite surface[7] and backhand down the line as favourite shot,[9] but she can play well on all surfaces and she likes mixing her game with drop shots.[8] Olaru is currently coached by Adrian Gavrila, Adrian Cruciat and Artemon Apostu Efremov.[9]

Performance timelines

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Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Fed Cup/Billie Jean King Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.

Singles

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Tournament 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 ... 2022 SR W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A 1R Q2 1R Q2 A Q1 A 0 / 2 0–2
French Open 3R 1R 1R 1R Q1 A Q1 A 0 / 4 2–4
Wimbledon A 1R 2R 2R Q1 A Q1 A 0 / 3 2–3
US Open 2R 2R 1R Q1 A A A 0 / 3 2–3
Win–loss 3–2 1–4 1–4 1–2 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0 / 12 6–12

Doubles

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Tournament 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 SR W–L Win%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A A 1R A 2R 1R A A 2R 1R 2R 2R 2R 1R 1R 2R 2R 0 / 12 7–12 37%
French Open A A A 1R A 1R A A A 1R 1R 1R QF 1R 1R 1R 2R 1R 0 / 11 4–11 27%
Wimbledon A A A A Q1 A A A 2R 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R NH 3R 3R 0 / 9 5–9 36%
US Open A A A A 1R A A A A 1R 3R 1R 1R 2R 2R 1R 3R 1R 0 / 10 6–10 38%
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–2 0–1 1–2 0–1 0–0 1–1 1–4 2–4 1–4 4–4 2–4 1–4 0–3 4–3 3–4 0 / 42 22–42 34%
National representation
Summer Olympics NH A NH A NH 2R NH 2R 2 / 2 2–2 50%
WTA 1000
Qatar / Dubai Open[1] NMS A A A A A A 1R A 1R 2R A QF A A A 0 / 4 3–4 43%
Indian Wells Open A A A A A A A A A A 2R 1R 1R 1R QF NH 1R 1R 0 / 7 3–7 30%
Miami Open A A A A A A A A A A A 1R 1R 1R QF NH 1R 1R 0 / 6 2–6 25%
Madrid Open NH A A A A A A 2R 2R A A 1R NH 2R A 0 / 4 2–4 33%
Italian Open A A A A A A A A A A 1R A A A 1R F 1R A 0 / 4 4–4 50%
Canadian Open A A A A A A A A A A QF A A A 2R NH A A 0 / 2 3–1 75%
Cincinnati Open NMS A A A A A A A 1R QF 2R 1R A 1R A 0 / 5 3–5 38%
Pan Pacific / Wuhan Open[2] A A A A A A A A A 1R 1R A 1R A 2R NH 0 / 4 1–4 20%
China Open NMS A A A 2R 1R A 2R 1R 1R NH 0 / 5 2–5 29%
Career statistics
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 SR W–L Win%
Tournaments 1 1 2 6 11 10 6 1 9 22 24 23 23 21 22 10 20 12 Career total: 224
Titles Career total:
Finals Career total:
Overall win-loss
Year-end ranking 73 55 54 74 36 44 48 43 36 155

Mixed doubles

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Tournament 2015 2006 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 SR W–L
Australian Open A A A A A A A 0 / 0 0–0
French Open A A A A 2R NH A 0 / 1 1–1
Wimbledon 3R 1R 2R 2R QF NH A 0 / 5 6–5
US Open A A 2R QF 2R NH A 0 / 3 4–3
Win–loss 2–1 0–1 2–2 3–2 4–3 0–0 0–0 0 / 9 11–9

Significant finals

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Premier-Mandatory/Premier-5 tournaments

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Doubles: 1 (runner-up)

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Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 2020 Italian Open Clay   Anna-Lena Friedsam   Hsieh Su-wei
  Barbora Strýcová
2–6, 2–6

WTA Tour finals

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Olaru at Wimbledon, 2013

Singles: 1 (runner-up)

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Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Jul 2009 Gastein Ladies, Austria International[a] Clay   Andrea Petkovic 2–6, 3–6

Doubles: 24 (11 titles, 13 runner-ups)

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Legend
Grand Slam
WTA 1000 (0–1)
WTA 500 (1–2)
WTA 250 (10–10)
Finals by surface
Hard (7–5)
Clay (4–7)
Grass (0–1)
Carpet (0–0)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Jul 2008 Budapest Grand Prix, Hungary Tier III[a] Clay   Vanessa Henke   Alizé Cornet
  Janette Husárová
7–6(7–5), 1–6, [6–10]
Win 1–1 Oct 2008 Tashkent Open, Uzbekistan Tier IV[a] Hard   Olga Savchuk   Nina Bratchikova
  Kathrin Wörle
5–7, 7–5, [10–7]
Win 2–1 Feb 2011 Mexican Open, Mexico International Hard   Mariya Koryttseva   Arantxa Parra Santonja
  Lourdes Domínguez Lino
5–7, 7–5, [10–7]
Loss 2–2 Apr 2013 Katowice Open, Poland International Clay (i)   Valeria Solovyeva   Lara Arruabarrena
  Lourdes Domínguez Lino
4–6, 5–7
Win 3–2 Jun 2013 Nuremberg Cup, Germany International Clay   Valeria Solovyeva   Anna-Lena Grönefeld
  Květa Peschke
2–6, 7–6(7–3), [11–9]
Loss 3–3 May 2014 Nuremberg Cup, Germany International Clay   Shahar Pe'er   Michaëlla Krajicek
  Karolína Plíšková
0–6, 6–4, [6–10]
Loss 3–4 Jul 2014 Baku Cup, Azerbaijan International Hard   Shahar Pe'er   Alexandra Panova
  Heather Watson
2–6, 6–7(3–7)
Win 4–4 Oct 2014 Linz Open, Austria International Hard (i)   Anna Tatishvili   Annika Beck
  Caroline Garcia
6–2, 6–1
Loss 4–5 May 2015 Nuremberg Cup, Germany International Clay   Lara Arruabarrena   Chan Hao-ching
  Anabel Medina Garrigues
4–6, 6–7(5–7)
Loss 4–6 Apr 2016 Rabat Grand Prix, Morocco International Clay   Tatjana Maria   Xenia Knoll
  Aleksandra Krunić
3–6, 0–6
Win 5–6 Oct 2016 Tashkent Open, Uzbekistan (2) International Hard   İpek Soylu   Demi Schuurs
  Renata Voráčová
7–5, 6–3
Loss 5–7 Jan 2017 Shenzhen Open, China International Hard   Olga Savchuk   Andrea Hlaváčková
  Peng Shuai
1–6, 5–7
Win 6–7 Jan 2017 Hobart International, Australia International Hard   Olga Savchuk   Gabriela Dabrowski
  Yang Zhaoxuan
0–6, 6–4, [10–5]
Win 7–7 Jul 2017 Bucharest Open, Romania International Clay   Irina-Camelia Begu   Elise Mertens
  Demi Schuurs
6–3, 6–3
Win 8–7 May 2018 Rabat Grand Prix, Morocco International Clay   Anna Blinkova   Georgina García Pérez
  Fanny Stollár
6–4, 6–4
Win 9–7 May 2018 Strasbourg International, France International Clay   Mihaela Buzărnescu   Nadiia Kichenok
  Anastasia Rodionova
7–5, 7–5
Loss 9–8 Sep 2018 Tashkent Open, Uzbekistan International Hard   Irina-Camelia Begu   Olga Danilović
  Tamara Zidanšek
5–7, 3–6
Loss 9–9 Oct 2018 Kremlin Cup, Russia Premier[b] Hard (i)   Darija Jurak   Alexandra Panova
  Laura Siegemund
2–6, 6–7(2–7)
Loss 9–10 Aug 2020 Prague Open, Czech Republic International Clay   Monica Niculescu   Lucie Hradecká
  Kristýna Plíšková
2–6, 2–6
Loss 9–11 Sep 2020 Italian Open, Italy Premier 5[c] Clay   Anna-Lena Friedsam   Hsieh Su-wei
  Barbora Strýcová
2–6, 2–6
Win 10–11 Mar 2021 St. Petersburg Trophy, Russia WTA 500 Hard (i)   Nadiia Kichenok   Kaitlyn Christian
  Sabrina Santamaria
2–6, 6–3, [10–8]
Loss 10–12 Jun 2021 Bad Homburg Open, Germany WTA 250 Grass   Nadiia Kichenok   Darija Jurak
  Andreja Klepač
3–6, 1–6
Win 11–12 Aug 2021 Chicago Open, United States WTA 250 Hard   Nadiia Kichenok   Lyudmyla Kichenok
  Makoto Ninomiya
7–6(8–6), 5–7, [10–8]
Loss 11–13 Oct 2021 Kremlin Cup, Russia WTA 500 Hard (i)   Nadiia Kichenok   Jeļena Ostapenko
  Kateřina Siniaková
2–6, 6–4, [8–10]

WTA Challenger finals

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Doubles: 1 (runner-up)

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Result W–L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 May 2016 Bol Ladies Open, Croatia Clay   İpek Soylu   Xenia Knoll
  Petra Martić
3–6, 2–6

ITF Circuit finals

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Legend
$100,000 tournaments
$75,000 tournaments
$50,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments

Singles: 18 (11 titles, 7 runner–ups)

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Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Aug 2004 ITF Iași, Romania 10,000 Clay   Monica Niculescu 6–7, 0–6
Win 1–1 Apr 2005 ITF Herceg Novi, Serbia 10,000 Clay   Miljana Adanko 7–5, 7–6(2)
Win 2–1 Jul 2005 ITF Bucharest, Romania 10,000 Clay   Anna Bastrikova 6–3, 6–2
Win 3–1 Aug 2005 ITF Bucharest, Romania 10,000 Clay   Mădălina Gojnea 7–6(3), 7–5
Win 4–1 May 2006 ITF Bucharest, Romania 10,000 Clay   Sorana Cîrstea 1–6, 6–4, 6–1
Win 5–1 May 2006 ITF Rabat, Morocco 10,000 Clay   Samia Medjahdi 6–2, 2–6, 7–5
Loss 5–2 Jul 2006 ITF Mont-de-Marsan, France 25,000 Clay   Nina Bratchikova 4–6, 6–4, 0–6
Win 6–2 Nov 2006 ITF Toronto, Canada 25,000 Hard(i)   Carly Gullickson 6–3, 6–1
Win 7–2 Apr 2007 ITF Torrent, Spain 50,000 Clay   Andrea Petkovic 6–4, 5–7, 6–4
Loss 7–3 Apr 2007 ITF Catania, Italy 25,000 Clay   Darya Kustova 3–6, 6–2, 3–6
Win 8–3 Jul 2008 Contrexéville Open, France 50,000 Clay   Stéphanie Foretz 6–4, 6–2
Win 9–3 Jun 2009 Open de Marseille, France 100,000 Clay   Maša Zec Peškirič 6–7(4), 7–5, 6–4
Win 10–3 Jul 2011 ITF Bad Saulgau, Germany 25,000 Clay   Tatjana Maria 6–3, 3–6, 7–5
Loss 10–4 Apr 2012 ITF Pomezia, Italy 10,000 Clay   Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6–0, 1–6, 1–6
Loss 10–5 Oct 2012 ITF Brasília, Brazil 25,000 Clay   Timea Bacsinszky 5–7, 2–6
Loss 10–6 Nov 2012 ITF Asunción, Paraguay 25,000 Clay   Verónica Cepede Royg 7–5, 6–7(7), 2–6
Loss 10–7 Jan 2013 ITF Eilat, İsrael 10,000 Hard   Alla Kudryavtseva 7–6(4), 3–6, 2–6
Win 11–7 Mar 2013 ITF Antalya, Turkey 10,000 Clay   Jovana Jakšić 6–3, 7–5

Doubles: 31 (15 titles, 16 runner–ups)

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Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Jun 2004 ITF Brașov, Romania 10,000 Clay   Lenore Lăzăroiu   Corina Corduneanu
  Alexandra Iacob
4–6, 5–7
Loss 0–2 Aug 2004 ITF Timișoara, Romania 10,000 Clay   Lenore Lăzăroiu   Sorana Cîrstea
  Gabriela Niculescu
1–6, 6–2, 2–6
Win 1–2 Sep 2004 ITF Cluj-Napoca, Romania 10,000 Clay   Corina Corduneanu   Veronika Raimrová
  Anamaria Sere
4–6, 6–0, 6–4
Win 2–2 Apr 2005 ITF Herceg Novi, Serbia 10,000 Clay   Antonia Xenia Tout   Aleksandra Lukič
  Patricia Vollmeier
6–4, 4–1 ret.
Win 3–2 July 2005 ITF Arad, Romania 10,000 Clay   Corina Corduneanu   Anna Bastrikova
  Vasilisa Davydova
6–1, 6–4
Win 4–2 Aug 2005 ITF Bucharest, Romania 10,000 Clay   Corina Corduneanu   Bianca Ioana Bonifate
  Sorana Cîrstea
6–1, 6–1
Win 5–2 Apr 2006 ITF Makarska, Croatia 10,000 Clay   Antonia Xenia Tout   Johanna Larsson
  Nadja Roma
6–4, 7–5
Loss 5–3 May 2006 ITF Bucharest, Romania 10,000 Clay   Simona Matei   Sorana Cîrstea
  Gabriela Niculescu
4–6, 6–0, 6–7(3)
Loss 5–4 May 2006 ITF Rabat, Morocco 10,000 Clay   María Fernanda Álvarez Terán   Bahia Mouhtassine
  Émilie Bacquet
w/o
Win 6–4 July 2006 ITF Mont-de-Marsan, France 25,000 Clay   Margalita Chakhnashvili   Akgul Amanmuradova
  Nina Bratchikova
7–5, 1–6, 6–1
Loss 6–5 Aug 2006 Ladies Open Hechingen, Germany 25,000 Clay   Kristina Antoniichuk   Eva Fislová
  Stanislava Hrozenská
3–6, 7–6(3), 3–6
Loss 6–6 Nov 2006 ITF Toronto, Canada 25,000 Hard (i)   Heidi El Tabakh   Angelika Bachmann
  Hana Šromová
4–6, 1–6
Win 7–6 Sep 2010 ITF Biella, Italy 100,000 Clay   Mariya Koryttseva   Andreja Klepač
  Aurélie Védy
7–5, 6–4
Loss 7–7 Sep 2010 Open de Saint Malo, France 100,000 Clay   Mariya Koryttseva   Petra Cetkovská
  Lucie Hradecká
4–6, 2–6
Loss 7–8 Sep 2011 Sofia Cup, Bulgaria 100,000 Clay   Alexandra Cadanțu   Nina Bratchikova
  Darija Jurak
4–6, 5–7
Win 8–8 Jan 2012 ITF Innisbrook, United States 25,000 Clay   Darya Kustova   Gioia Barbieri
  Nadejda Guskova
6–3, 6–1
Loss 8–9 Feb 2012 Copa Cali, Colombia 100,000 Clay   Alexandra Cadanțu   Karin Knapp
  Mandy Minella
4–6, 3–6
Win 9–9 Apr 2012 ITF Civitavecchia, Italy 25,000 Clay   Elena Bogdan   Claudia Giovine
  Marina Shamayko
6–3, 7–5
Win 10–9 Apr 2012 ITF Tunis, Tunisia 25,000 Clay   Elena Bogdan   Inés Ferrer Suárez
  Richèl Hogenkamp
6–4, 6–3
Loss 10–10 May 2012 ITF Casablanca, Morocco 25,000 Clay   Elena Bogdan   Olga Savchuk
  Renata Voráčová
1–6, 4–6
Loss 10–11 Jul 2012 Open Romania Ladies 100,000 Clay   Elena Bogdan   Irina-Camelia Begu
  Alizé Cornet
2–6, 0–6
Win 11–11 Aug 2012 ITF Mamaia, Romania 25,000 Clay   Elena Bogdan   Danka Kovinić
  Tadeja Majerič
7–6(4), 6–3
Loss 11–12 Sep 2012 ITF Sofia, Bulgaria 25,000 Clay   Marina Melnikova   Katarzyna Piter
  Barbara Sobaszkiewicz
5–7, 1–6
Win 12–12 Oct 2012 ITF Brasília, Brazil 25,000 Clay   Elena Bogdan   Timea Bacsinszky
  Julia Cohen
6–3, 3–6, [10–8]
Win 13–12 Nov 2012 ITF Buenos Aires, Argentina 25,000 Clay   Elena Bogdan   María Fernanda Álvarez Terán
  Maria Fernanda Alves
1–6, 6–2, [10–7]
Win 14–12 Jan 2013 ITF Eilat, Israel 10,000 Hard   Alla Kudryavtseva   Ilona Kremen
  Pemra Özgen
6–3, 6–3
Loss 14–13 Nov 2013 GB Pro-Series Barnstaple, UK 75,000 Hard (i)   Tamira Paszek   Naomi Broady
  Kristýna Plíšková
3–6, 6–3, [5–10]
Win 15–13 Jun 2015 Ilkley Trophy, UK 50,000 Grass   Xu Yifan   An-Sophie Mestach
  Demi Schuurs
6–3, 6–4
Loss 15–14 Aug 2015 Vancouver Open, Canada 100,000 Hard   Anna Tatishvili   Johanna Konta
  Maria Sanchez
6–7(5), 4–6
Loss 15–15 Sep 2016 Neva Cup, Russia 100,000 Hard (i)   Alena Tarasova   Maria Marfutina
  Anna Morgina
2–6, 3–6
Loss 15–16 May 2017 Open de Cagnes-sur-Mer, France 100,000 Clay   Renata Voráčová   Chang Kai-chen
  Hsieh Su-wei
5–7, 1–6

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Sony Ericsson WTA Tour | Players | Stats | Ioana Raluca Olaru". Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  2. ^ WTA Tour: Petkovic, Olaru Into Final Archived 24 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine (25 July 2009)
  3. ^ Sony Ericsson WTA Tour: Petkovic Wins First Tour Title Archived 24 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine (26 July 2009)
  4. ^ "Sony Ericsson WTA Tour | Players | Info (Awards) | Ioana Raluca Olaru". Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  5. ^ "Sony Ericsson WTA Tour | Players | Activity | Ioana Raluca Olaru". Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  6. ^ Kiarash, Amir (28 June 2024). "Lovitură pentru tenisul românesc: Raluca Olaru, retragere oficială după o carieră cu lacrimi în ochi". Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Ioana Raluca Olaru Archived 28 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine at the International Tennis Federation
  8. ^ a b c d e WTA Tour: Getting to Know... Ioana Raluca Olaru Archived 24 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine (24 July 2009)
  9. ^ a b c WTA Tour | Players | Info (Biography) | Ioana Raluca Olaru
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