Hobart International: Elise Mertens defends title with win over Mihaela Buzarnescu in rain-interrupted final

Hobart: Belgian Elise Mertens successfully defended her Hobart International title with a rain-interrupted win over first-time WTA finalist Mihaela Buzarnescu on Saturday. The second seeded Mertens downed Romania’s 57th-ranked Buzarnescu, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in a decider frequently interrupted by rain. [caption id=“attachment_4301421” align=“alignleft” width=“381”] Elise Mertens with the trophy after he win in the final. Image courtesy: Hobart International website [/caption] It was the first time in the 25-year history of the Hobart International that a player has won the singles title for a second time. The two-and-a-half-hour match took over seven hours to complete due to persistent rain, but Mertens overcame three suspensions of play to go back-to-back in Hobart. Mertens broke Buzarnescu’s serve in the opening game and then went on to win after two lengthy stoppages during the match. “It’s amazing to defend a title and I’m really happy I did,” Mertens said. “It’s been a wonderful week.” It has been 15 years since a Hobart International singles final has gone to three sets. With inputs from agencies