Belgian tennis star Elise Mertens, the second seed at the Monterrey Open, showed resilience on Friday by overturning a first‑set loss to beat Czech competitor Nikola Bartunkova 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. The comeback secured Mertens a place in the championship match against France’s Diane Parry.
In the first semi‑final, 23‑year‑old Parry upset the tournament’s fifth seed, American Ann Li, with a 7-6(7), 6-4 victory that lasted two hours and three minutes. Parry’s win set the stage for a final featuring two young, rising talents.
Match recap
Bartunkova started strongly, breaking Mertens in the opening game and quickly building a 4-1 lead. She extended her advantage to 6-1, taking the first set after a third service break in the final game.
Undeterred, Mertens fought back in the second set. After falling behind 3-0, she broke Bartunkova’s serve three consecutive times and captured six of the next seven games, closing the set 6-4.
Carrying the momentum into the deciding set, Mertens secured an early break to lead 2-1, added another break in a marathon seventh game, and ultimately closed out the set 6-2, completing a notable comeback.
The Monterrey Open, a WTA 500 hard‑court event, serves as a key tune‑up for players ahead of the U.S. Open, which begins its women’s singles main draw on Sunday.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
