Elise Mertens, the third seed from Belgium, just snagged her second WTA Tour title of the year at the Libema Open in Den Bosch! She beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 7-6(4) in a hard-fought final. This win marks Mertens’ tenth WTA singles title overall, and her very first on grass – pretty cool, considering she’s already a Wimbledon women’s doubles champ from 2021! Plus, she’s still got Ruse’s number, extending her perfect head-to-head record against her to 4-0.
How the Match Unfolded
Mertens actually started a bit shaky, falling behind 3-1 in the first set as Ruse came out swinging. But the Belgian quickly found her footing. She dug deep and saved two crucial break points in the fifth game, which really seemed to turn the tide. Ruse then double-faulted twice, bringing the set back on serve at 3-3, and from there, Mertens just ran with it, reeling off three more games to snatch the first set. Ruse even took a lengthy medical timeout between sets to get her thigh strapped, showing how intense the opener was.
The second set saw both players trading breaks midway through. Ruse even had a couple of set points at 5-4, but Mertens showed incredible grit, holding her serve and forcing a tiebreaker. Once in the tiebreaker, Mertens was all business, powering through it with ease to close out the match and secure her victory!
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