2:36 p.m
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 5:7, 0:5
Tatjana Maria starts her service game with an ace through the middle. Afterwards, however, she can no longer control a forehand, so it lands behind the field. Elise Mertens takes the lead with a forehand stop that becomes a winner. However, a return error equalizes the game again. A frame hit from the 38-year-old brings the next break chance, which Mertens uses ice-coldly in the duel at the net. After a very close first set, the second round seems to be much clearer, so the Belgian serves for the match.
2:32 p.m
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 5:7, 0:4
In the second set, Elise Mertens seems to have found her old serving strength and once again leaves her opponent little chance with two backhand winners and an ace. Another ace ends the Belgian’s service game very quickly, and she now seems much more confident.
14:29
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 5:7, 0:3
Is Tatjana Maria already showing nerves? The 38-year-old starts her service game with a double fault before making an unforced error on her backhand. But with a forehand volley she can at least shorten the score to 15:30. An ace through the middle ensures that the third game is even. The German wants to pull away with a serve-and-volley variation, but her backhand gets caught on the edge of the net before Elise Mertens places a lob over the advanced Maria and brings about the next break with a winner.
14:26
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 5:7, 0:2
Elise Mertens shows no difficulties at all with her own serve and checks out her opponent several times. So she wins all four rallies with a winning stroke and confirms the previous break without losing a point.
14:24
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 5:7, 0:1
On the debut, Tatjana Maria was able to claim the advantage before she put a backhand on the edge of the net without any pressure. Then it is Elise Mertens who makes a deliberate forehand stop for the winner from the half court. She doesn’t miss the chance of the break and lets out a loud “Come on” as her opponent puts a forehand behind the baseline.
14:21
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 5:7, 0:0
After Elise Mertens won the first rally, Tatjana Maria also wrote off the second point as a backhand landed directly behind the net. However, the Belgian’s forehand volley gets stuck on the edge of the net and makes it 15:15. This is followed by an unforced error by the world number 54 before Mertens manages a forehand smash in the field. So there are two break options. The 30-year-old misses her first chance in a duel at the net before Maria equalizes with a strong backhand stop.
2:18 p.m
Sentence conclusion
In a very turbulent first round, Elise Mertens prevailed against Tatjana Maria. With nine breaks from twelve games, it is a very varied match, but in which the Belgian shows significantly more winners (22:9) than her opponent. Overall, the player seeded at number 23 seems a bit more confident, which means that the success of the set is definitely okay.
2:14 p.m
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 5:7
Elise Mertens serves for the second time to win the set! This time, however, she was able to benefit from an unforced error from her opponent before Tatjana Maria made another slight mistake later on. When the score is 30-0, the Belgian serves an ace, which gives her three set points. With a forehand stop, Mertens lures Maria to the net before the praise comes. The German is able to run for it, but her backhand with her back to the net ends up in touch, which ends the first set 7:5 for Elise Mertens.
14:11
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 5:6
Elise Mertens is also now increasingly looking for her way to the net again, putting pressure on her opponent. Although Tatjana Maria was able to score the first point with a forehand winner, the Belgian won the next three rallies, each with a winner. At 15:40 it is a return error. On the second break chance, both players advance before Mertens crosses a backhand into the field for the winner.
2:05 p.m
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 5:5
The ups and downs continue. The opponents split the first four rallies equally, so that the score quickly reached 30:30. Afterwards there is a very deep return from Tatjana Maria, so that Elise Mertens can only put a forehand behind the field, which gives the opportunity for the re-break! Both players advance to the net, but a backhand volley from the 38-year-old hits the touchline and makes it 5:5.
2:02 p.m
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 4:5
With a one-handed forehand stop, Elise Mertens drives her opponent to despair. Shortly afterwards, Tatjana Maria made an unforced error on her backhand, meaning she had to chase a 0:30 deficit. As so often in this match, the German looks for her way to the net and forces a forehand error from the Belgian. The 38-year-old then hits the felt ball with the frame, so that there are two break balls. After Maria advances back to the net, there is the lob, whereupon the volley from the world number 54 lands in the mesh of the net while running backwards.
13:59
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 4:4
In a smooth service game, Elise Mertens shows no weakness at all and hits her opponent with three winners. In addition, Tatjana Maria made a return error, so the service game ended after less than 90 seconds.
1:55 p.m
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 4:3
Tatjana Maria confirms the re-break with a somewhat mixed serve performance, but in the end she only has to give up two rallies so that she can maintain her service game. This means the German takes the lead for the first time in the game and puts Elise Mertens under pressure for the time being.
1:50 p.m
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 3:3
A forehand from Tatjana Maria lets Elise Mertens through, but the ball hits the line, giving another chance for a break. A long rally then ensues in which Elise Mertens sends a forehand down the line and delivers the winner. So the debut follows, in which the German can once again score the point, as a forehand from the number 23 player ends up in the net. However, the service game continues after Mertens shows a serve-and-volley variation and puts a forehand in the field for sure to be the winner. Then it is a lucky net roller who gives Maria another breakball. This time the 38-year-old grabs hold and outplays the advanced Belgian, who then hits a forehand into the net while moving backwards.
13:43
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 2:3
The fact remains that Tatjana Maria is looking for the way forward. However, Elise Mertens recognizes this again and again and can get past her with passing shots. Nevertheless, the score is 30:30 because the Belgian acts uncleanly and commits two mistakes. Another unforced error on the forehand, which gets stuck in the net, results in a break ball. However, the German cannot return a hard serve with a lot of kick in a controlled manner. At the debut it is Mertens who looks for the way to the net, but she hammers the felt ball into the net from close range. The renewed chance for a break is coldly blocked with a forehand volley.
1:40 p.m
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 2:3
It is very noticeable that Tatjana Maria keeps finding her way to the net and predominantly gets her points from there. The German has big problems from the baseline. However, she seems to recognize this, so she is not deviating from her match plan for the time being. Despite the high risk, she was able to win four out of five rallies and thus held her first service game.
1:35 p.m
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 1:3
After the actors share the first two points, Elise Mertens takes over the reins. She lets her opponent run and is able to safely place a forehand smash in the field at the end. Then she stays on the trigger and forces a mistake. When the score is 40:15 there is a duel at the net in which Tatjana Maria puts a forehand into the double court and the service game ends.
13:32
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 1:2
Both Tatjana Maria and Elise Mertens miss a chance to score a point at the net. The Belgian then gets stuck on the edge of the net with a forehand, so that the felt ball bounces back to her own side. However, Mertens compensated with praise for the advanced Maria. As the game progresses, the German can’t control a backhand before she makes a double fault. This means the third break in the third game!
13:29
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 1:1
Elise Mertens also knows how to get the first point on her own serve. With a serve-and-volley variation, she gives her opponent no chance. However, the Belgian then slipped a forehand before a double fault followed shortly afterwards. At 15:30, the 30-year-old wants too much and puts a backhand behind the court from half court. Nevertheless, Mertens does not deviate from her match plan and so there is the next trip to the net. Tatjana Maria tries a lob that flies clearly behind the baseline. The German then takes advantage of the second break chance because the Belgian misses a backhand.
13:24
T. Maria – E. Mertens: 0:1
Tatjana Maria starts serving. She immediately looks for the way to the net and is countered coldly on the first two trips. Elise Mertens puts the ball safely into the field. At 0:30 there is a backhand winner, which creates three break chances. With another winner, this time from the forehand, Mertens gets the break without winning a point.
1:20 p.m
Mertens is the favorite
The duel between Tatjana Maria and Elise Mertens has already taken place twice on the WTA tour. The Belgian left the field as the winner both in Stuttgart in 2024 and in Singapore last year. In both cases it was 2-1 for the 30-year-old. However, the player seeded number 23 won each set very confidently, so she will also go into today’s match as the favorite.
1:15 p.m
Konstante Mertens wants to go to round two
In contrast to the German player, Elise Mertens has been much more consistent so far this season. The Belgian has not had to accept an opening defeat since the beginning of the year, although her tournament victories were more of a wish. In preparation for the Roland Garros tournament, she was eliminated in the second round in Stuttgart and Madrid, while in Rome she made it at least to the round of 16. Accordingly, the 30-year-old’s form can also be improved.
1:15 p.m
Maria is getting into shape
Tatjana Maria survived a rather difficult spring. In the first third of the season, almost nothing worked for the 38-year-old, so she had to cope with many first-round defeats. However, the German seems to have found her form again shortly before the start of the French Open. At the clay court tournament in Rouen she was able to reach the semi-finals, where she failed against the number one seeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk. Maria also survived at least the first match in Rome and Rabat.
13:10
Welcome
Following the game between Alex de Minaur and Toby Samuel, Tatjana Maria and Elise Mertens will also start at the French Open 2026. The duel for 14th place will take place in around 15 minutes.
