Elise Mertens has clinched the Libema Open title in Den Bosch, Netherlands, after defeating Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the final. The Belgian third seed secured her tenth WTA singles title and her first on grass with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory. This win marks Mertens' second title of the year, adding to her triumph at the Singapore Tennis Open in February.

Mertens displayed resilience throughout the tournament, particularly in her semi-final match against two-time Den Bosch champion Ekaterina Alexandrova, where she saved an astonishing 11 match points. Reflecting on her remarkable week, Mertens acknowledged the element of chance in tennis and expressed pride in seizing the opportunity.

The final match saw Ruse, a qualifier, putting early pressure on Mertens, taking a 3-1 lead in the first set. However, Mertens recovered, saving two break points in the fifth game, which proved to be a turning point. She leveled the score at 3-3 after a couple of double faults from Ruse and then won three consecutive games to claim the first set. Ruse took a medical timeout between sets and had her thigh strapped. The second set was closely contested, with the pair trading breaks. Ruse even had two set points at 5-4, but Mertens held her nerve to force a tiebreaker, which she dominated to seal the victory.

Ruse, while disappointed with the loss and seven double faults, congratulated Mertens on her victory. She also expressed pride in her performance throughout the tournament, exceeding her own expectations by reaching the final.

Mertens' path to the final wasn't easy. Her semi-final victory against Alexandrova was a hard-fought battle, with Mertens having to dig deep to overcome the Russian second seed. Alexandrova, who had won the Den Bosch title in 2022 and 2023, aimed for her third title. Mertens admitted she lost count after saving a few match points, and she stayed focused. She acknowledged that Alexandrova started strongly and was leading 6-2, 5-3, but she managed to stay in the game and give it her all.

Ruse's journey to the final included a first-set comeback win against Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the semi-finals. Before the final, Mertens had won all three of their previous encounters.

The Libema Open, officially known as the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, is a professional tennis tournament held in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. It is classified as an ATP 250 event for men and a WTA 250 event for women. The tournament is played on grass courts at the Autotron Rosmalen. The men's singles title in 2025 was won by Alex de Minaur.