s’Hertogenbosch, June 14 (IANS) Robin Montgomery’s comeback story gained a remarkable new chapter on Sunday as the American secured her first WTA singles title at the Libema Open in s’Hertogenbosch

The 21-year-old was crowned champion after top seed Barbora Krejcikova withdrew from the final due to illness, bringing an abrupt end to what had been an impressive week for both players on the Dutch grass courts.

For Montgomery, the title represents a significant milestone in a career that has recently been interrupted by injury. The former world No. 95 spent nearly 10 months away from competition after being sidelined from June 2025 until April this year.

Arriving in the Netherlands as a qualifier and ranked No. 484 in the world, Montgomery pieced together the best run of her professional career to reach the championship match. The Libema Open was only her third WTA Tour-level event since returning to action, following early exits in Bogota and Madrid.

The title also places Montgomery among the lowest-ranked players to win a WTA Tour singles trophy in recent history. She becomes the lowest-ranked champion since Elina Svitolina won Strasbourg in 2023 while ranked No. 508 in the world.

Only Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Kim Clijsters, Angelique Widjaja and Svitolina have captured WTA singles titles while ranked lower than Montgomery at the time of their triumphs.

The American’s success continues a growing trend of qualifiers making deep runs on tour this season. She joins Elisabetta Cocciaretto in Hobart and Sara Bejlek in Abu Dhabi as qualifiers who have converted their unexpected opportunities into WTA titles in 2026.

Krejcikova, meanwhile, was unable to take the court for the final after falling ill before the match.

“I’m sorry to announce that I have to withdraw from today’s Libema Open final due to illness. I have been feeling unwell and after consulting with the medical team, it has become clear that I am not in a condition to compete today. I was really looking forward to the opportunity to play in the final and compete for a title, but today it’s not possible,” Krejcikova was quoted by WTA.

Despite her disappointment, the former Wimbledon champion congratulated Montgomery on her breakthrough week.

“I would also like to congratulate Robin for a great week here and wish her the very best for the rest of the season. I am disappointed to end my tournament in this way, but I will focus on recovering as quickly as possible and look forward to returning to competition soon,” she added.

–IANS

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