Robin Montgomery made history by winning ‘s-Hertogenbosch as the American became the second-lowest-ranked WTA champion in the Open Era, behind only Elina Svitolina.
The 21-year-old, who started last week as the world No. 484, won two qualifying matches at the Libema Open before adding another four victories to reach her maiden WTA final.
As Montgomery was preparing to face Barbora Krejcikova in the ‘s-Hertogenbosch final, she learned that there would be no need to take to the court since the Czech two-time Grand Slam champion was forced to withdraw due to illness.
As a result, the rising American tennis star captured the Libema Open title without even having to play the final.
A first WTA title and a Libéma Open trophy! 🏆💚
Robin Montgomery is your 2026 Libéma Open Women’s Champion.#libemaopen #wta #tennis pic.twitter.com/F9QUEJfn1F— Libéma Open🎾 (@LibemaOpen) June 14, 2026
Why was Montgomery ranked so low at the Libema Open and where is she ranked now?
During Wimbledon last year, the American sustained a wrist injury that required surgery. She then missed the remainder of the 2025 season, as well as the first three months of the 2026 season, before returning to competition on March 31.
During her time away, the former world No. 95 plummeted down the rankings. But now, after winning the WTA 250 tournament in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, she has climbed 290 spots and now sits at world No. 194.
Where was Svitolina ranked when she set the record by winning 2023 Strasbourg?
If you can recall, Svitolina launched her post-pregnancy comeback in April 2023. When the Ukrainian tennis star returned to the Tour, she did not have a ranking.
After competing in a couple of ITF and WTA tournaments, Svitolina rose to world No. 508 in May 2023. Then, she completed a sensational run at the WTA 500 tournament in Strasbourg while ranked No. 508.
🇺🇸 Robin Montgomery, #484, is the 2nd lowest ranked player to win a @WTA title 🏆#Libemaopen pic.twitter.com/EW0ohAkZLH
— TennisMyLife (@TennisMyLife68) June 14, 2026
Meanwhile, since Montgomery hasn’t played in the second part of 2025, she won’t have any points to defend in the upcoming months and that leaves her with a good chance to continue with her ranking rise.
