Belgium’s third seed Elise Mertens won her second WTA Tour title, beating Elena Gabriella Loose 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the final of the Libema Open in Den Bosch on Sunday, winning her second WTA Tour title and adding her victory at the Singapore Tennis Open in February.
The victory won the Wimbledon Women’s Doubles title in 2021, extending the head-to-head record against Ruse to 4-0, while Mertens won with his 10th WTA single title and first grass.
“It’s been an incredible week,” Mertens said. Mertens had to dig deeper to save 11 match points in Saturday’s semi-finals and overcome double winner Ekaterina Alexandrova.
“Yesterday I got 11 points and managed to win that match. It’s tennis. Everything happens.
Mertens chased 3-1 in the first set after being pressured early by Romanian qualifiers.
The Belgian recovered from her volatile start, saving two breakpoints to secure a key hold in her second match, changing the tide of the contest.
The set double fell twice before being returned to serve 3-3, with Mertens quickly winding up three more games and clinching the opener.
The pair traded breaks midway through the second set, and Ruse managed to score two set points at 5-4, but Mertens held the serve and showed great resilience to force a tiebreaker.
“First of all, I want to congratulate Elise. You beat me every time, so what can I say,” said Loose, who committed seven double faults in the match.
“I’m really sad and angry, but I’ll give it a try next time… I’m very proud of myself. I didn’t expect to be in the final here. It’s a really nice tournament.”