Third seed Elise Mertens and world No. 84 Daria Snigur opened the grass-court season with straight-sets victories at the Libema Open in s-Hertogenbosch on Monday, eliminating high-profile opponents Bianca Andreescu and Paula Badosa.
Mertens Dominates Andreescu
Defending champion Elise Mertens of Belgium defeated Canadian wild card Bianca Andreescu 6-1, 6-3 in just over an hour.
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Mertens did not face a single break point and converted four of her seven break opportunities.
She won 80 percent of her service points compared to 50 percent for Andreescu.
The loss will drop Andreescu from world No. 158 to at least No. 175 because she failed to defend her 2025 quarter-final points.
Andreescu will next compete in Wimbledon qualifying starting June 29 in London, aiming for her first Grand Slam main draw since the 2024 US Open.
Snigur Overcomes Badosa
Ukrainian player Daria Snigur defeated wild card Paula Badosa of Spain 6-1, 7-6 to advance.
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Snigur won six consecutive games to take the opening set, then saved a set point at 5-3 in the second before winning the tie-break.
The loss is Badosa's fifth consecutive defeat.
She currently sits at No. 139 in the live rankings after skipping Roland Garros to prepare physically following a recurring back injury.
Badosa has no confirmed tournaments for the coming weeks but is expected to receive direct entry into Wimbledon after several main draw withdrawals.
Cilic Wins Men's Opener
In the men's draw, Croatian veteran Marin Cilic defeated Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5 in their first-round match.
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Cilic broke Shapovalov seven times on 10 chances, while Shapovalov managed five breaks on seven opportunities.
