Elise Mertens has claimed the biggest title of her career by beating top seed Simona Halep to win the Qatar Open. Mertens, 23, recovered fr6om a set and a break down – losing 18 points in a row at one stage in the second set – to beat the world number three 3-6 6-4 6-3. World number 21 Mertens also overcame a lengthy medical time-out for a back issue in the first set.
Mertens’ triumph over the Romanian was her third win over a top 10 player in Doha. She had already beaten Angelique Kerber and Kiki Bertens, a year after she was knocked out of the tournament in the first round.
Elise Mertens
- Elise Mertens is a Belgian professional tennis player.
- Mertens has won five singles and six doubles WTA titles as well as 24 ITF titles to date. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 12, achieved on 26 November 2018, and a best doubles ranking of No. 13, achieved on 8 October 2018.
- While growing up, Mertens looked up to Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, and is currently a member of the Kim Clijsters Academy, where she has been training since 2015.
