Gabriela Ruse got her revenge and qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch
Article by David Istrate – Published Thursday, June 11, 2026, 1:54 p.m. / Updated Thursday, June 11, 2026, 1:54 p.m.
Gabriela Ruse (28 years, 88 WTA) qualified for the quarter-finals of the tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch, in the Netherlands, after a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Elisa Mertens (30 years, 22 WTA). The two players met in last year's final of this tournament, and then the Belgian won.
On Thursday, June 11, Gabriela Ruse and Elise Mertens faced off in the round of 16 of the tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch, a year after they met in the final of the competition. The Romanian hoped to get revenge against her opponent, but the history of direct duels was not at all on her side.
Gabriela Ruse, victory in two sets in the confrontation with Elise Mertens, re-editing of the final in 2025
However, Ruse played excellently, showed that she feels very comfortable on grass and, as she would declare at the end of the match, she took advantage of her taste for a while. In the decisive moments of the game, the 28-year-old athlete did not lose her temper, but continued to fight for every pointdominating Mertens.
So, the player ranked 88th in the world won both sets by the same score, 6-3, and achieved the victory in 90 minutes. Ruse got her revenge and qualified for the quarterfinals where she will meet Barbora Krejcikova (30 years old, 45 WTA) or Hanne Vandewinkel (22 years old, 97 WTA).
“I hope (my team members) are happy with this win. It is difficult to play with Elise, she is an excellent player and I hope to play better and better. It was very hard mentally because I played her many times and never beat her. I tried to be more aggressive and return well”, said Ruse, during the interview on the field.
“Yes, that's right (I'm not much better physically). I work a lot. In the last 8 months, I've been working physically and I hope this shows,” added the Romanian.
“I don't feel very good when it's hot. I like to play on grass and I like this weather more because it's cooler. Sometimes I like to take a 30-40 minute break, I don't mind,” Ruse concluded.
