Belgian Mertens to meet Cornet in Monastir Open final

Belgian Elise Mertens, the No 5 seed, beat American Claire Liu 6-4, 6-0 to move into the final of the Monastir Open at the Monastir Tennis Club on Saturday afternoon.

Mertens, ranked No 42, will face Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, the No 3 seed, next. It will be the first final in 2022 for both women.

The Belgian won against Romanian Jaqueline Cristian (6-1, 6-1), Greek qualifier Despina Papamichail (5-7, 6-1, 6-2) and Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima (6-0, 3-6, 6-4) ahead of her victory.

Earlier in the tournament, Liu, ranked No 73, defeated Croat qualifier Ana Konjuh (6-3, 6-2), Czech Katerina Siniakova, the No 7 seed (7-5, 6-2) and Tunisian Ons Jabeur, the top seed (6-3, 4-6, 6-4).

Monastir WTA 250, other semi-final result (Monastir Tennis Club, hard, USD 251.750):

• Alize Cornet beat Veronika Kudermetova (2): 6-4, 6-3