Belgium's Mertens downs top seed Simona Halep in Qatar Total Open final

World #3, Romania's Simona Halep was downed this Saturday by Belgian Elise Mertens 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the Qatar Total Open tennis tournament.

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Despite a flying start, Halep progressively lost momentum after the medical timeout requested by her opponent, committing increasingly more unforced errors and finally bowing out after two hours and 13 minutes of play. This was the first time Halep and Mertnes met outside clay.

Simona Halep secured an $84,850 cheque and 305 WTA points, while the Belgian was rewarded with 158,895 dollars in prize money and 470 WTA points.

AGERPRES .