Elise Mertens Defends Hobart International Title
(January 13, 2018) Second seed Elise Mertens won her second career WTA title, defending her Hobart title beating Mihaela Buzarnescu. Mertens also paired with Demi Schuurs to take the doubles title.
The Belgian is the first player to win multiple titles in the tournament’s 25-year history.
For Buzarnescu, it was the Romanian’s first WTA final. Her best previous result was a semifinal run at 2017 Linz.
Mertens’ ranking will rise to No. 37 in the new rankings and Buzarnescu will rise to a career-high No.44.
Mertens and Schuurs won their second WTA doubles title together; Mertens now has three titles to her name, while Schuurs has five.
