Mertens saves 11 match points and overturns Alexandrova in a thrilling semifinal in Bois-le-Duc
The WTA 250 tournament semifinals took place in s-Hertogenbosch this Saturday. To start the day, Elise Mertens faced off against Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The Belgian, ranked 25th in the world, went up against the Russian, ranked 19th in the WTA, for an enticing matchup. The two women had faced each other four times on the main circuit (3-1 for Alexandrova), and it was the Chelyabinsk native who won their last encounter, in Doha in February.
However, on grass, things can be different. The two players, known for their resilience and solidity in rallies, put on a true spectacle with a match full of twists and turns. Alexandrova started strong, quickly pulling ahead to win the first set. The battle began in earnest in the second set.
The Russian seemed close to a straightforward victory as she led 6-2, 5-3. But Mertens then went into warrior mode to break back, saving five match points on her next service game at 4-5.
She repeated the feat when serving to stay in the match a second time. The Belgian dismissed another five match points at 5-6 before forcing a tie-break. In the tie-break, Alexandrova had an eleventh match point on her serve.
Nevertheless, Mertens remained unfazed and, with mental fortitude, won the decider 9-7 to force a decisive third set. Down a break and trailing 4-3, Mertens again found herself against the wall but fought to the end. Ultimately, she won three consecutive games to completely turn the situation around.
After a wildly intense match, Mertens, who saved a total of 11 match points during the contest, finally prevailed (2-6, 7-6, 6-4 in 2h49) and advanced to the final of this Dutch tournament.
To attempt to win a second title this season after her victory in Singapore, she will face the winner of the upcoming match between Elena-Gabriela Ruse and Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
's-Hertogenbosch 
