Sydney, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) Zizou Bergs and Elise Mertens registered singles victories on Thursday as Belgium beat Czechia to power into the semifinals of the mixed-teams United Cup in Sydney, setting up a clash against Switzerland.
In the men’s singles, Bergs continued his giant-killing run after beating world No. 18 Jakub Mensik 6-2, 7-6 (4) in one hour and 40 minutes.
Bergs, ranked 42, has started the season riding a wave of momentum having stunned world No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old’s confidence was evident when he stormed through the first set against a ragged Mensik.
Bergs’ dominance continued in the second set until nerves set in and he struggled to close out the match on serve.
“You just want to finish, you’re so close, you’re playing big points,” Bergs said. “I got tight, it was a very big struggle in the end. I’m so happy for myself and the team.”
Mertens clinched the win for Belgium after a thrilling 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 victory over two-time grand slam champion Barbora Krejcikova in two hours and 33 minutes.
The 30-year-old is more noted for her doubles prowess, but has been in spectacular form in the singles so far in Sydney.
Her latest stellar effort was highlighted by her upset over highly-rated 19-year-old Victoria Mboko and losing just four games to China’s Zhu Lin.
“I’m very happy with the win,” Mertens said. “I had to adjust my game a little bit. I felt like I had to play a little bit more aggressively.”
Poland faces host Australia in a blockbuster quarterfinal on Friday in Sydney in a tie that features six-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek and men’s No. 6 Alex de Minaur.
