Qatar Total Open 2019: Final, Simona Halep vs Elise Mertens, Preview and Prediction

The 2019 Qatar Total Open final will pit the number one seed and crowd favourite Simona Halep against the fast improving Belgian Elise Mertens.

Simona Halep was expected to face her toughest challenge yet in the semi-final against the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. That is exactly how it panned out. The fans were anticipating a close contest between two of the best returners in the women’s game, and they got an absolute thriller of a match, where at the end of the match, both players had won the same number of points.

The Halep-Svitolina match had its share of great shot-making, terrific defensive skills from both and exhilarating rallies. But more than anything, it showcased how much tougher Halep has become mentally when it comes to tight match situations.

There were times in the past when Halep would fold at the slightest hint of pressure, her 2017 French Open final loss to Jelena Ostapenko being a prime example. But she has come a long way since then.

The match against Svitolina was a further proof of Halep’s toughness. She seemed almost down and out in the third set when she went 0-3 down. The momentum was all against her. Svitolina was brimming with confidence having pocketed the second set and was riding on a wave.

But as it turned out, Halep won six of the last seven games in the deciding set to book a place in the summit clash. She will certainly fancy her chances against Elise Mertens, a player who has been knocking on the door for quite some time, without having broken through to the top level of women’s tennis yet.

Elise Mertens

But that may all change for the 23-year-old Belgian if she can add one more scalp to her giant-killing spree in this tournament. She proved that her victory against the fifth seed Kiki Bertens in the quarter-final was no flash in the pan by slaying the overwhelming favourite, Angelique Kerber, in the semi-final encounter.

It was a topsy-turvy match that swung wildly from one side to the other. When Kerber won the second set having lost the first one to level up the match, it seemed the experienced German would get the better of the inexperienced Mertens.

But like Halep in the first semi-final, Mertens was simply irresistible in the closing stages of the match, where she won five games in a row to book a place in the biggest final of her nascent career yet.

Though Halep is the favourite to lift the trophy, Mertens is not going to go without a fight. And who knows, we may be in for another surprise from the Belgian youngster.

Prediction: Simona Halep to win in 3 sets.

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