Tennis: Mertens cruises past fifth-seeded Bertens to reach semi-final at Qatar Open

Belgium's Elise Mertens cruised past fifth-seeded Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the semi-final of the Qatar Open in Doha, where she will face Germany's Angelique Kerber. The unseeded Mertens had won two of three previous three matches against Bertens but lost the last one in Brisbane at the beginning of January this year. She played an aggressive match from the start and closed the first set 6-4 in 46 minutes with two breaks to Bertens' one. The second set lasted 46 minutes as well, with the Belgian wrapping up the match 6-3 again with two breaks to her opponent's one. It was Mertens' fourth career victory over a Top 10 rival, with her record improving to 4-10. In the semi-final, Mertens will face Kerber for the first time at WTA level, the only precedent being in Hopman Cup.