Irina Spîrlea (born 26 March 1974) is a retired tennis player from Romania who turned professional in 1990.

Spîrlea married Massimiliano Pace, her former coach, in 2001, and has a son, Tommaso, born in 2002, as well as a younger daughter, Francesca.

[1][2] Irina Spîrlea is one of the more successful tennis players from Romania, being one of only three women to have reached the top 10 (the others being Virginia Ruzici and Simona Halep.

Williams' father accused Spîrlea of racism, and later called her "an ugly white turkey".

[10] At the following Grand Slam tournament, the 1998 Australian Open, Spîrlea was the first opponent of Venus' sister, Serena Williams in the main draw and lost in three sets.