With confidence at Australian Open: Elise Mertens wins in Hobart both, single as doubles: “What a fantastic day” |

Elise Mertens (WTA 36) has her title at the WTA tournament in Hobart, Australia, successfully defended. Mertens defeated in the finals, between the rain showers, the Romanian Mihaele Buzarnescu (WTA 57) in three sets: 6-1, 4-6 and 6-3. For Mertens, it is the second WTA tour victory in singles in her career. Saturday afternoon wrote Mertens also the doubles to her name.

The party lasted through the various regenpauzes 2 hours and 32 minutes. Mertens made it on her own service at her fifth matchbal. It was the third mutual duel between the 22-year-old Mertens, and the 29-year-old Buzarnescu. Also the two previous meetings, in 2015, by the Limburg won.

Elise Mertens played Saturday, the third WTA final of her career. In early 2017, she won in Hobart in the final of the Romanian Monica Niculescu. A few months later, in april, she took out the final battle on the graveltoernooi of Istanbul. There bumped they on the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. Buzarnescu was for the first time in the final of a WTA tournament.

Mertens also won the doubles, in the final defeated the Limburg on the side of its Dutch partner Demi Schuurs, who they are the third seed, was the Ukrainian Lyudmyla Kichenok and the Japanese Makoto Ninomiya. It was 6-2, 6-2 after 53 minutes of tennis. The 22-year-old Mertens now has two WTA tour titles in singles and four in doubles on its roll of honour.

“What a fantastic day”

“I so wanted this final win. Perhaps I was, therefore, at the end a little bit nervous,” said the 22-year-old Mertens, who is in her fifth wedstrijdpunt the match was serving. “It really was not easy due to the rain. I don’t know how often the match is interrupted, I have lost the count. Every time I had to then heat up again. And at the same time fresh in the head remain. It was important not to get frustrated, to get and to be ready for any situation. I’ve managed to get to the end to fight. It is a fantastic day!”

Mertens can be full of confidence to the Australian Open travel, where in the first round to a qualifier awaits. “It’s a wonderful start of the year, the Hopman Cup in Perth and now this victory. I am very proud that I have been able to prove that I am able to make this tournament Hobart to win again. I have very regularly performed, and that gives me a lot of confidence for Melbourne.”