Maria Penkova defeated Monica Niculescu 1-6 6-3 7-6 in the Sofia 25K qualifying round on clay. The upset overturned the form book — Monica Niculescu came in leading the head-to-head 1–0. Maria Penkova claimed a first win over Monica Niculescu in two meetings, narrowing the head-to-head to 1–1.
| Date | Tournament | Round | Surface | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-02-16 | Portimao 10K | SF | hard | Monica Niculescu | 7-5 6-2 |
Averages over each player's completed matches in the selected window. ATP, WTA & Challenger.