Elise Mertens stunned fourth seed Elina Svitolina to reach the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday.
Mertens, in her first grand slam quarter-final, was too good for Svitolina in a 6-4 6-0 victory in 73 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
The Belgian, ranked 37th in the world, dominated from the outset, pushing her Ukrainian opponent back thanks to her aggression.
Svitolina, whose record dropped to 0-3 in major quarters, had no answers to a player she had beaten in their only previous meeting.
The clash was between two form players, with Svitolina coming into the Australian Open on the back of claiming the title in Brisbane and Mertens having secured the crown in Hobart.
But Mertens powered to her win, taking control from the baseline to move into the last four, where either Caroline Wozniacki or Carla Suarez Navarro await.
Mertens was the aggressor throughout the first set, stepping inside the court to dictate to her favoured opponent.
The Belgian broke to love in the third game and then took a 5-2 lead before showing some nerves on her way to closing out the set.
Svitolina was broken again to start the second set as Mertens cruised, a tough hold in the fourth game crucial as she booked a last-four spot.
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Mertens bt Svitolina [4] 6-4 6-0
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Mertens – 26/16
Svitolina – 14/19
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Mertens – 2/2
Svitolina – 3/0
BREAK POINTS WON
Mertens – 5/9
Svitolina – 1/2
FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE
Mertens – 66
Svitolina – 52
PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE
Mertens – 67/65
Svitolina – 52/40
TOTAL POINTS
Mertens – 61
Svitolina – 41
