Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina took on Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the quarterfinal of the WTA 500 Melbourne 2021. It was their fifth meeting, with the World No. 5 and Ukrainian leading 4-1. However, in their sixth meeting, the Belgian won the match without much difficulty, 6-3 5-7 10-6 to advance into the semifinal. 

Prior to the quarterfinals, Elise Mertens beat Japan’s Mayo Hibi and France’s Caroline Garcia. On the other hand, Elina Svitolina beat Germany’s Andrea Petkovic and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Elise Mertens Takes Control of First Set Breaking Elina Svitolina’s Serve

The match began with the Belgian serving, and she struck early, handing her opponent the first break of the match. After 30 minutes, Mertens served for the opening set and clinched it 6-3. Both players served fairly well, but it was Mertens who handled the tough situations better and saved three breakpoints on her serve. 

As the second set began, Elina served and faced a few hiccups, before holding her serve at 1-0. In the third game of the second set, the Belgian struck a break and consolidated by holding her serve. In the following game, she took advantage of Elina’s serve and broke her immediately, to serve at 5-2. However, Svitolina made a sensational comeback, from 2-5 down, and saved three match points to eventually snatch the second set 7-5. 

In the final tiebreaker, the Belgian regrouped and raced to a 5-0 lead. After 1 hour and 55 minutes, Mertens sealed the final tiebreaker 10-6. 

The 2018 Australian Open semifinalist will now face three-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in the semifinal of the WTA 500 Melbourne 2021 event. 

After that, players will focus on the first Grand Slam, the Australian Open 2021. During last year’s Grand Slam event, Elina lost in the third round, whereas Elise lost in the fourth round. 

Also Read: Australian Open 2021 Draw: Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka in Same Half, Ashleigh Barty Receives Easy Path