Steady, solid and smart, Elise Mertens takes WTA Singapore Open title 

SINGAPORE – The most elusive thing in sport is the trophy. It is dreamed of, sweated over and fought for almost every week. It involves science, tactics, wisdom and pain. It is pursued by all but won by a few. On the WTA tennis tour there are over 1,400 ranked players but only 52 trophies available in 2025. To be one of the chosen few is thus a feat.

It is why No. 2 seed Elise Mertens collapsed to her knees on court after her 82-minute 6-1, 6-4 victory over American Ann Li in the final of the WTA Singapore Open on Feb 2. Delight had to wait, the first emotion was a rush of relief.

Later, gentle smile painted onto face and trophy resting before her, the Belgian told The Straits Times: “I think, especially in a final, it gives you a little bit of a different emotion because you know it’s all or nothing... You get the title or you don’t win the title... It’s kind of relief at the end, especially when it’s a tight second set, you never know what’s going to happen.”

The two players were separated by only five years – Mertens is 29, Li is 24 – but by a sea of experience. The Belgian had eight titles before Feb 2, the American one. Experience doesn’t always prevail, but Mertens demonstrated that time on the tennis road has taught her about calm. “I think yes, it definitely comes with a bit of experience. The more matches you win or lose, you can learn from that.”

Mertens brought a polished game to the Kallang Tennis Hub, Li unfortunately an errant one early. Asked if she was nervous, the friendly American laughed and said: “For sure, a little bit. She came out swinging at full speed. For me, in the beginning, my legs just weren’t moving, so I was a bit slow reacting... I also had no serve today.”

The first game commenced with a Belgian backhand hissing down the line for a winner and ended with a carbon copy of that shot. Li was broken to 0-1 and soon broken twice more. Mertens looked exactly how she was feeling. “Solid,” the world No. 32 said.

Players compete for trophies but there’s never a guarantee if the next one will come. Mertens won her last trophy in 2023 and has lost two finals since, including one this January. But athletes are conditioned to be positive and Mertens said of titles: “I always think eventually it will come.”

Outside the rain hammered down on the roof, inside Mertens provided a flood of smart tennis. She controlled the rallies, manoeuvred the ball adeptly, avoided error and served like a savant on big points. The Belgian won 74 per cent of first-serve points to Li’s 59. In a sport of fine margins, this was too damaging a difference. 

But the trophy – presented to Mertens later by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong – fittingly took some fighting to win. Li was born in an area of Pennsylvania called King of Prussia and this Mertens reign she did not like. The American’s flat forehand started to hiss, her errors dried up, and after being down 0-2 in the second set she creamed a wrong-footing backhand on her way to finally breaking Mertens. One-sided final had become contest.

Empty seats could be spied, but the crowd’s volume made up for those missing. The cheers were aimed at Li the underdog, but Mertens was deaf to everything but her own intensity. She adjusted her shoelaces, spat out “come ons” and clenched her fist. Her mother used to teach languages and the daughter’s racket speaks a gritty one. At one point she shook her head at her racket, changed it and promptly fired an ace. It was a day of smart decisions. 

There’s no magic to winning, just a steady, old, arduous art. Sitting courtside, this is what Mertens’ coach – as she revealed – told her: “Just stay calm. Just look to play point by point. Don’t rush too much. Let her work for the points. Stay aggressive.” All those simple truths made so difficult when there’s a trophy on the line.

Mertens came on court after US’ Desirae Krawczyk and Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos defeated China’s Wang Xinyu and Zheng Saisai 7-5, 6-0 in the doubles final and reminded us that if a trophy requires a week of consistent play, it mostly demands a Sunday of tough play. Asked later about it, she laughed gently. “Yeah, I have some experience on Sundays, I guess. But I just really, really wanted to win and get that title.”

The Belgian wins US$36,300 (S$49,400), confidence and an insertion in the history books. In 2024, only 35 different women won events on the tour. So far in 2025 it is a handful, of which she is one. And so she leaves Singapore with a trophy and also the sweetest title in sport. The one which simply says: Champion.