Australian Open: Simona Halep defeats Elise Mertens

WILLIAM WEST / AFP

Simona Halep has secured her place in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

The Fourth Seed defeated Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-4 in Melbourne.

"I played Elise in the Doha final last year - I led by a set and was up 4-2 but lost the match," said Halep. "I knew I had to stay focused today. I was a little nervous at 4-3 but was strong enough to finish."

The Romanian will play Estonian Anett Kontaveit in the last eight.

More from Sports

  • Sarfaraz named Pakistan's test coach for Bangladesh series

    Pakistan appointed former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed as head coach of their test team for the two-match series in Bangladesh next month, the country's cricket board said on Saturday.

  • Coventry promoted to Premier League after 25-year absence

    Coventry City ended their 25-year absence from the Premier League with a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers, securing promotion from the Championship with three games to spare on Friday.

  • Gujarat sink Kolkata with adaptable bowling in IPL

    Gujarat Titans adapted to conditions to secure a five-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, fast bowler Kagiso Rabada said, focusing on tight bowling instead of the explosive batting that has been the hallmark of the Indian Premier League.

  • Alcaraz pulls out of Madrid Open for second straight year

    Carlos Alcaraz will miss the Madrid Open for the second consecutive year after withdrawing on Friday with a wrist injury, dealing another blow to the world number two's clay court preparations ahead of his French Open title defence.

  • Injured Djokovic to miss Madrid Open

    Novak Djokovic is still working through the injury problems that forced him to miss recent tournaments in Miami and Monte Carlo and said on Friday that he will not feature at next week's Madrid Open, one of the last stops before the French Open.

News