By Tennis Now | Friday, August 14, 2020
Elise Mertens edged wild card Genie Bourchard in three sets to reach her first clay-court semifinal in two years.
Photo credit: Prague Open 2020 Facebook
In her first tournament on Czech soil, Elise Mertens’ continues to plant seeds of success.
The third-seeded Belgian beat back a stiff challenge from Genie Bouchard 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to advance to the Prague Open semifinals.
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It is Mertens’ first semifinal since Osaka last September and her first trip to a final four on red clay since she won Rabat in 2018.
Wild card Bouchard burst out to a 4-0 second-set lead before taking the set and forcing a decider.
US Open doubles champion Mertens relied on her ball-control accuracy breaking for 3-2. She backed up the break at 15 for a 4-2 lead and never looked back beating Bouchard for the third time in as many meetings.
“She hit the ball pretty well today, she made me run a lot,” Mertens said after a two hour, 18-minute triumph. “Her serve is tough to return. All credit to her for making me have a tough match. In the end, it was a mental game.
“I think the difference was physical, mental, maybe more mentally at the end. The games were pretty close, The first set was pretty close, in the second set she played really well, made fewer mistakes, became more aggressive, but I think at the end, it was just that one break. Just one service game made the difference.”
The world No. 23 will take on Czech left-hander Kristyna Pliskova for a place in Sunday’s final.
Pliskova, the 2017 Prague runner-up, advanced to the semifinals when 92nd-ranked Ana Bogdan was forced to retire up a double break at 5-2 in the quarterfinals.
Top-seeded Simona Halep played ruthless baseline tennis thrashing lucky loser Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-0.
“I did much better today,” Halep said. “The whole game it was getting better. I’m happy I can play better and better day-by-day.”
The two-time Grand Slam champion reeled off seven straight games to seal her first straight-sets win in three tournament matches this week.
“It was not easy also for her,” Halep said. “She played a tough match yesterday. It was a good one and I take it.”
Halep improved to 22-5 in career clay-court quarterfinals.
"I think I hit the ball stronger," Halep said. "I opened the court better and I finished the volley. It was good because the ball was coming a little bit softer than yesterday and I had to just go there and be more aggressive."
The Wimbledon winner will play either Romanian compatriot Irina-Camelia Begu or Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo in tomorrow's semifinals.