Latest news with #DenBosch
Globe and Mail
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Montreal's Gabriel Diallo wins his first ATP Tour title
Canadian Gabriel Diallo battled past Belgium's Zizou Bergs 7-5 7-6(8) in the final of the Libema Open in Den Bosch on Sunday to clinch his maiden ATP Tour title after Belgian third seed Elise Mertens beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the women's final. In his second ATP Tour final after losing to Karen Khachanov in Almaty last October, Diallo confidently overcame Bergs, never allowing the Belgian to win more than one game in a row. The Canadian, who saved his opponent's two break points, was down 6-4 in the tiebreaker but won three straight points and went on to take the win. The 23-year-old became only the fourth Canadian man this century to win a tour-level title, and first to win an ATP Tour singles title on grass. Diallo, ranked 55, will break into the top 50 for the first time after dispatching Australian sixth seed Jordan Thompson, Russian third seed Khachanov and Frenchman Ugo Humbert, seeded second, in the earlier rounds. 'Thank you to my team ... you guys have no idea how much you mean to me,' Diallo said. 'Since the moment we started working together, we were never scared of dreaming big. We were always dreaming and striving for these moments. And today, hopefully, it's the first of many.' MERTENS OVERPOWERS RUSE Belgium's Mertens won the women's final as she beat Romanian qualifier Ruse 6-3 7-6(4) to claim her second WTA Tour title of the year, adding to her victory in the Singapore Tennis Open in February. The win earned the 29-year-old her tenth WTA singles title and first on grass, though she has won the Wimbledon women's doubles title in 2021. 'It's been an incredible week,' said Mertens, who had to dig deep to save 11 match points and overcome two-times winner Ekaterina Alexandrova in Saturday's semi-final. 'I mean yesterday I had 11 match points against me. I managed to still win that match. It's tennis, anything can happen. So I'm very proud that I took that chance yesterday and today.' Mertens trailed 3-1 in the first set but recovered from her shaky start and saved two break points to secure a crucial hold in the fifth game, which turned the tide of the contest. The set was brought back on serve at 3-3 after Ruse double-faulted twice, and Mertens quickly reeled off three more games to clinch the opener. The pair traded breaks halfway through the second set and Ruse was able to earn two set points at 5-4, but Mertens showed great resilience to hold and force a tiebreaker, which she powered through with little trouble.
Reuters
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Mertens beats Ruse to win Den Bosch title
June 15 (Reuters) - Belgian third seed Elise Mertens beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3 7-6(4) in the final of the Libema Open in Den Bosch on Sunday to claim her second WTA Tour title of the year, adding to her victory in the Singapore Tennis Open in February. The win earned Mertens her tenth WTA singles title and first on grass, though she has won the Wimbledon women's doubles title in 2021, while also extending her winning head-to-head record against Ruse to 4-0. "It's been an incredible week," said Mertens, who had to dig deep to save 11 match points and overcome two-times winner Ekaterina Alexandrova in Saturday's semi-final. "I mean yesterday I had 11 match points against me. I managed to still win that match. It's tennis, anything can happen. So I'm very proud that I took that chance yesterday and today." Mertens trailed 3-1 in the first set after being put under early pressure by the Romanian qualifier. The Belgian recovered from her shaky start and saved two break points to secure a crucial hold in the fifth game, which turned the tide of the contest. The set was brought back on serve at 3-3 after Ruse double-faulted twice, and Mertens quickly reeled off three more games to clinch the opener, with Ruse taking a lengthy medical timeout between the sets and having her thigh strapped. The pair traded breaks halfway through the second set and Ruse was able to earn two set points at 5-4, but Mertens showed great resilience to hold serve and force a tiebreaker, which she powered through with little trouble. "First of all, I would like to congratulate Elise. You beat me every time, so what can I say," said Ruse, who committed seven double faults in the match. "I'm really sad and angry, but I will try next time... I'm very proud of myself. I didn't expect to be in the final here. It's such a nice tournament." In the men's final later on Sunday, Canadian Gabriel Diallo takes on Belgium's Zizou Bergs.
RNZ News
14-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Belgium tennis star Elise Mertens makes astonishing comeback
Elise Mertens of Belgium celebrates after winning a grass court tennis match at the 2025 Libéma Open the Netherlands. Photo: MARLEEN FOUCHIER Wins on the WTA tennis tour don't get more gutsy than a semi-final victory for Belgian third seed Elise Mertens at Den Bosch in the Netherlands overnight. Mertens saved 11 match points yet still overcame two-times winner Ekaterina Alexandrova 2-6 7-6(7) 6-4 to reach the Libema Open final, where she will face qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse. According to the WTA Tour, that's the most match points survived in a main draw women's match this decade. "I didn't even know it was 11, after one or two I lost count," Mertens said. "It was a difficult match. I think she started really well, and it was 6-2, 5-3 for her. I just stayed with my head in the game and gave everything I had." Mertens found herself 5-3 down in the second set after losing the first but battled back to force a tie-break before seeing off the Russian second seed who was aiming to win her third title having triumphed in 2022 and 2023. Alexandrova won their only previous meeting in Den Bosch, in 2019, and has reached at least the quarter-finals of the last five editions, but Mertens now has the chance to win a second title this year, after her Singapore triumph in February. Standing in Mertens' way will be Romanian Ruse who recovered from losing the first set to defeat Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto 2-6 6-4 6-3. Mertens has won all three previous meetings with Ruse. The men's final will see Canada's Gabriel Diallo meeting Belgium's Zizou Bergs. - Reuters
Reuters
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Battling Mertens saves 11 match points to reach Den Bosch final
'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, Netherlands, June 14 (Reuters) - Belgian third seed Elise Mertens dug deep to save 11 match points and overcame two-time winner Ekaterina Alexandrova 2-6 7-6(7) 6-4 to reach the Libema Open final in Den Bosch on Saturday, where she will face Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Mertens, having lost the opening set, found herself 5-3 down in the second but battled back to force a tiebreak before seeing off the Russian second seed, with Alexandrova aiming to win her third title having triumphed in 2022 and 2023. "I didn't even know it was 11, after one or two I lost count," Mertens said. "I was very focused on the game, which, of course, I like that about me, that I just keep going. "It was a difficult match, I think she started really well, and it was 6-2, 5-3 for her. I just stayed with my head in the game and gave everything I had." Alexandrova won their only previous meeting in Den Bosch, back in 2019, and has reached at least the quarter-finals of the last five editions, but Mertens now has the chance to win a second title this year, after her Singapore triumph in February. Standing in Mertens' way will be Romanian qualifier Ruse who recovered from losing the first set to defeat Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto 2-6 6-4 6-3. Mertens has won all three previous meetings with Ruse.
CNA
10-06-2025
- Climate
- CNA
Andreescu and Alexandrova off to winning start as rain stops play in 's-Hertogenbosch
Bianca Andreescu and second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova both kicked off their grasscourt campaigns with solid first-round wins at the Libema Open in Den Bosch, as rain caused significant delays throughout Tuesday's second day of play. Andreescu eased past Taiwan's Joanna Garland 6-1 6-3 as the 24-year-old Canadian put on a strong performance without facing a single break point and secured victory in 74 minutes. The former U.S. Open champion, who missed out on qualifying for Roland Garros, will next face New Zealand's Lulu Sun. Alexandrova advanced to the second round with a composed 6-3 6-4 win over Georgia's Mariam Bolkvadze, despite a lengthy rain delay disrupting the first set. The Russian returned from the interruption unfazed, taking control from the baseline and racing to a 5-2 lead in the second set. After being broken while serving for the match and facing another break point in her next service game, Alexandrova regained her composure to close out the win and set up an all-Russian second-round showdown with Anna Blinkova. The match between defending champion Liudmila Samsonova and Canada's qualifier Carson Branstine was tied at one set apiece before the game was suspended due to darkness. Branstine had stunned top seed Samsonova by taking the first set 6-4 before the Russian levelled the match by winning the second 7-5. Play will resume on Wednesday. In the men's draw, American Reilly Opelka also overcame several rain delays to see off local favourite Jesper de Jong with a hard-fought 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 6-2 victory. Several matches had to be postponed to Wednesday due to rain, including Polish fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut, Briton Daniel Evans against Australia's Rinky Hijikata, and Greece's Maria Sakkari taking on Dutch wildcard Anouk Koevermans.
