After beating Kiki Bertens in the quarterfinals and Angelique Kerber in the semis, the 23-year-old Belgian recovered from a set and a break down to overcome the 2014 Doha champion Halep 3-6 6-4 6-3. The unseeded Mertens lost 18 points in a row from 3-3 in the first set, as Halep won four games to love and had a 30-0 lead on her opponent’s serve at the start of the second set.
Even though Halep earned an early advantage in the second set, Mertens quickly restored order and got the match back on serve, while in the seventh game the Belgian saved two break points before breaking the former world No.