Brit win sets up super-semi
THE British bulldog in the UK’s No.2 women’s player Heather Watson bared her teeth at the Hobart International yesterday when she sent Croatian Donna Vekic packing in straight sets.
The 6-0 6-4 quarterfinal victory set up a blockbuster semi-final against defending champion Elise Mertens.
The 22-year-old Belgian advanced on the back of the prematch withdrawal of her Romanian opponent Monica Niculescu with a neck injury.
It set up a super-semi between last year’s champion and the 2015 champion. The last time they met was in Luxembourg on hard court, where Mertens triumphed 6-4 6-4.
“We’re not too dissimilar in terms of game style,” Watson said. “We are both pretty solid and try to play aggressive.
“We make a lot of balls so there will be longer rallies.
“Last year she shot up the rankings, so it will be a really tough match.”
Watson, 25, won the first nine games of her quarterfinal in a powerhouse run to take the first set 6-0 and create a 5-0 lead in the second.
Vekic won the next four games but, despite the brave comeback, double-faulted to give Watson match-point and struck a backhand wide of the line to give the Brit passage into the semis.