Irina-Camelia Begu

Irina-Camelia Begu (born 26 August 1990) is a professional Romanian tennis player who is currently ranked no. 26. On 28 September 2015, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of no. 26. Her highest doubles ranking of no. 35 was reached on 30 July 2012. She is coached by Marius Comănescu. She is the no. 2 female tennis player of Romania.

Biography

Irina Begu was born in Bucharest. Her mother, Steluţa, works for the Government of Romania, while her father Paul is an electrician. She has an older brother, Andrei.

She started playing tennis when she was 3 years old, her aunt Aura Wagner coached her and she is currently working with two coaches at a club in Bucharest. Her hobbies include shopping and going to the cinema with friends. She likes Melbourne and Paris, but her favorite city is New York.

Irina's favorite surface is clay, she admires Martina Hingis and Roger Federer and her goal is to become a top 10 player.

Professional career

2011: Breakthrough

Irina Begu started the year at No.234, never winning a main draw match at WTA level.

Begu

Saint Begu (died 31 October 690) was a nun and later became a saint from Hackness, Yorkshire (Deira). She served at the monastic conversation in the nunnery of Hackness, near Scarborough which was built by St. Hilda of Whitby shortly before her death.

Begu was the woman who claimed to have witnessed Hilda's soul being borne to heaven by angels when Hilda died on 17 November 680. Tradition states that at the moment of Hilda's passing, the bells tolled. Begu awoke to find her fellow sisters in the dormitory sleeping; it is then that Begu stated she witnessed the vision of the roof of the house opening and Hilda's soul been borne into heaven. The nuns awakened and prayed for the soul of the blessed abbess until, at dawn, some monks arrived to tell them of her death.

Years after the death of Begu herself, the monks of Whitby Abbey were seeking holy relics to replace those of Hilda in 1125, as they were transferred to Glastonbury Abbey due to the 10th century Viking raids. Through a supposed revelation, a sarcophagus was uncovered at Harkness where Begu had served; it bore the inscription Hoc est sepulchrum Begu, the contents were transferred to nearby Whitby where miracles were soon reported.

Persan (grape)

Persan is a red French wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Savoie region. While the name hints at a Persian origins for the grape, it is most likely native to the Rhône-Alpes region with the name "Persan" being a corruption of the synonym "Princens" which is also the name of a small hamlet by Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in Savoie which has been noted since the 17th century for the quality of its vineyards.

History

The exact origins of Persan is unknown. The name of the grape lends itself to the theory that it originated in the Middle East and worked its way west via Cyprus. One legend has it that Prince Louis of Savoy had the vine brought to France from Cyprus where he reigned as king in the 15th century. Another theory that Master of Wine Jancis Robinson puts forth is that the name Persan is a corruption of Princens which combined two words from the local dialect meaning prin (or prime) and cens (a fee due to landowners from their vassals). Records indicate in the 17th century there was a vineyard located in the small hamlet of Princens by Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne east of Grenoble that was highly regarded and could have been home to the "Princens" grape that late became known as Persan.