Heather Watson defeats Donna Vekic to set up Hobart International semi-final clash with Elise Mertens
The British number two won the title in Tasmania three years ago and was in brilliant form for most of the match on Thursday, eventually prevailing 6-0, 6-4
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Your support makes all the difference.Heather Watson has reached the semi-finals of the Hobart International in Australia by beating world number 55 Donna Vekic 6-0, 6-4.
It is the British number two’s second WTA Tour semi-final since winning the Monterrey Open in March 2016, with her run at last summer’s Aegon International Eastbourne the last time she managed to reach the last four of a tournament.
“Every match I play, I feel like I'm getting better and better, tennis-wise and mentally,” Watson said during her on-court interview. “I'm just very happy at the moment.”
Watson, who won the Hobart International three years ago, started her quarter-final in superb form and raced into a commanding 6-0, 5-0 lead.
However the 25-year-old, who is currently ranked 74 in the world, was forced to dig deep as Vekic won four games in a row before eventually bowing out.
“I was very happy with how I played today.” Watson added. Even at 6-0, 5-0, I don't think I dropped my level much at all. I think Donna raised hers and I knew she would because she's a great competitor.
“She's a big hitter, who can hit winners from pretty much anywhere. When that started to happen, the most important thing was not to panic. When you go that far up, it can feel a bit up and down when you lose the next four games, but I had to realize that I was still 5-4 up and playing well.
“My confidence is very high at the moment. At the beginning of the year, you want a lot of matches and that's definitely what I've gotten the last two weeks. I'm not even thinking about the Australian Open, and just about my next match here.”
Watson will now play the second seed and defending champion Elise Mertens for a place in the final. Yesterday's Australian Open draw pitted her against Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva in the opening round.
“Elise obviously also loves it here and has been playing really well,” Watson said of her next opponent. “She shot up the rankings next year so it'll be a tough match.”
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