Mertens rallies to upset Halep, claims Qatar title
DOHA: Belgium’s Elise Mertens rallied from a set down to beat top seed Simona Halep 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 and clinch her first Premier-level title at the Qatar Open on Saturday.
After both players dropped their opening service game, Halep took control of the encounter by winning 18 consecutive points from 3-3 to clinch the first set.
World number three Halep grabbed an early break in the second set but Mertens responded immediately to get the match back on serve.
Unseeded Mertens held her nerve to fend off two break points in the seventh game before she broke Halep’s serve to love en route to claiming her first set in six played against the Romanian.
With momentum firmly on her side, Mertens claimed a crucial early break in the deciding set and went on to hold off a late Halep surge to win her fifth WTA title.
Mertens, ranked 21 in the world, recorded three top-10 victories in Doha this week, also beating Kiki Bertens and Angelique Kerber in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively.
The 23-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough 2018 season, winning three titles, and has since maintained her steady progress on the WTA tour.
UNSEEDED MERTENS RECORDED THREE TOP10 VICTORIES IN DOHA, ALSO BEATING KIKI BERTENS AND ANGELIQUE KERBER IN QUARTERS AND SEMIS
WAWRINKA REACHES FIRST FINAL IN 2 YEARS
ROTTERDAM: Three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka reached his first final on Saturday since his comeback a year ago from left knee surgeries.
The unseeded Wawrinka beat top-seeded Kei Nishikori 6-2, 4-6 6-4 in the ABN AMRO World Tournament semi-finals to face Gael Monfils for the title.
The final is Wawrinka’s first since the 2017 French Open, where he last met Monfils in the fourth round.
Monfils ousted the other remaining seed, No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, 4-6 6-3 6-4, a week after the Russian beat Monfils in the Sofia semi-finals en route to that title.
Wawrinka didn’t serve as well as Nishikori but outplayed Nishikori from the baseline. And his returns never let the Japanese feel comfortable even after winning the second set.
The Swiss broke Nishikori decisively at 5-4 in the third set. Wawrinka will be going for his 17th career title and second in Rotterdam, after winning in 2015.
SCHNUR’S DREAM RUN CONTINUES
NEW YORK: Canadian qualifier Brayden Schnur punched his ticket to the ATP New York Open final by outlasting US journeyman Sam Querrey 7-6 (9/7), 4-6, 6-3 on Saturday.
Schnur, a 23-year-old from Montreal ranked 154th in the world, defeated 10-time ATP titlewinner Querrey in one hour and 54 minutes in the semi-finals.
He will try to complete a fairytale championship run on Sunday against American Reilly Opelka, who outgunned top seed John Isner in three sets 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (16/14), 7-6 (7/4) in the other semi-final.
THIEM KNOCKED OUT BY SCHWARTZMAN
BUENOS AIRES: Local favourite Diego Schwartzman recovered from a shaky start to overcome top seed Dominic Thiem 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) on Saturday and set up a final showdown with Italy’s Marco Cecchinato at the Argentina Open.
Buenos Aires-born Schwartzman fought back from 4-2 down to force a tiebreak in the third set.
The world number 19 held his nerve in a nail-biting tiebreak to beat Thiem. Schwartzman will take on Cecchinato in the final after the Italian beat another Argentine, Guido Pella, 6-4, 6-2.