Elise Mertens wins 10th WTA singles title, Zizou Bergs loses in final
Elise Mertens has won the Libéma Open tennis tournament in Rosmalen, the Netherlands, on Sunday. It is her 10th WTA singles title and her first on grass. Fellow Belgian Zizou Bergs was unable to follow her example and lost in the men's final to Canadian Gabriel Diallo.
Mertens defeated Romanian Elena Gabriela Ruse in the final in two sets. She started hesitantly and faced a 3-1 deficit in the first set, but picked up speed and won 6-3. In the second set, the players were evenly matched but Mertens took the set and the match on a tiebreak.
The 29-year-old adds to her singles victory in Singapore this year, as well as her previous two titles in Hobart (2017 and 2018) and Monastir (2022 and 2023) and one each in Lugano (2018), Rabat (2018), Doha (2019) and Melbourne (2021).
As a doubles player, she has 21 titles to her name.
On Saturday, Mertens made tennis history in the semi-finals by saving 11 match points against Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova. “I'm glad the tournament is over, after five matches and yesterday's four-hour match,” Mertens told Sporza. “This is a fantastic tournament, I'm happy I was able to win here in my ‘backyard’.”
No first ATP title for Bergs
Bergs was unable to match Mertens in the men's final. The 26-year-old lost in two sets, 7-5 and 7-6 to Diallo, who won his first ATP title.
Diallo is no stranger to Bergs: the two train together regularly and will form a team for the doubles at Wimbledon. “Why today?” Bergs asked him after the final, according to Sporza. “Why did you have to play so well? But I'm very happy for you and your team.”
#FlandersNewsService | Elise Mertens holds her trophy after winning the tennis tournament in Rosmalen, 15 June 2025 © PHOTO SANDER KONING / ANP / AFP
Related news
