From Europe to the Americas, from 250 to 500 level tournaments, they saved match points and then clinched the title, writing a legendary story in 2025.

It is widely recognized that tour tournaments represent a high tier in tennis. For this reason, claiming a title at these events is quite challenging. In the just-finished 2025 season, several players encountered tough battles during their title runs, each having to save at least three match points to survive. So, who are the players that triumphed after saving three match points? Let this article take you through the details.

Belgian player Mertens won her first career tour title back in 2017, the same year she broke into the world’s top 100 rankings. However, having achieved notable success in doubles — including titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open, and the year-end championships — her singles results often went under the radar. In early June 2025, already a tour champion that season, she entered the WTA250 ’s-Hertogenbosch Open as the third seed.

In the first round, Mertens cruised past Bulgaria’s Tomova without dropping a game, advancing smoothly. She then delivered back-to-back bagel sets, defeating former Grand Slam semifinalist Greek player Sakkari and tour champion Yuan Yue from China to reach the semifinals. There, Mertens faced Russian player Alexandrova, who has made it to the second week of Grand Slams and is a formidable opponent.

In this match, Alexandrova took the first set, gaining an early advantage. In the second set, Mertens staged a remarkable comeback, saving 11 match points and winning the tiebreak to push the match into a deciding set. At that point, Alexandrova lost momentum, and Mertens closed the final set 6-4, completing a stunning turnaround to reach her first career grass-court tour final.

In the final, she defeated Romanian qualifier Ruse in straight sets to claim her first grass-court tour title. That same month, Australian player Joint saved four match points in the WTA250 Eastbourne final, beating Filipino player Iela to win her maiden tour championship.

Although Russian player Schneider reached four tour finals and won them all in the 2024 season, she had not made it to a tour semifinal in 2025 before August. In mid-August, she competed as the third seed at the WTA500 Monterrey Open. As a seeded player, Schneider received a first-round bye.

In the second round, she delivered a flawless performance to defeat compatriot Rashimova and advance to the quarterfinals; there, she faced Belgian Mertens, mentioned earlier. Mertens took the first set, but Schneider saved five match points to win the second set tiebreak. Then, she edged out Mertens again in the deciding set tiebreak, narrowly advancing to the semifinals. Afterwards, she defeated American Parks and fellow Russian Alexandrova to capture her first tour title of the 2025 season.

Compared to Mertens and Schneider, French player Lajonat is undoubtedly less well-known. In early September 2025, she saved three match points in the first round of the WTA250 São Paulo event to narrowly overcome Mexico’s Ana Sánchez and advance. She then went on a winning streak, securing four consecutive victories to claim her first tour title of the year. These players prove through their actions that even in dire situations, as long as you don’t give up, there is still hope for a comeback. Moreover, comebacks from the brink always make tennis matches most captivating. That’s today’s tennis story; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)