Garcia knocked out Mertens to reach the final at Monterrey Open

Caroline Garcia has reached her second final of the year at the Monterrey Open after beat Elise Mertens.

Garcia had a smooth path throughout the tournament, with victories over Kaja Juvan, Nuria Parrizas, and Mayar Sherif, without losing a set and only dropping her serve once against the Spanish player.

Elise Mertens had come off a dominant victory over Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the quarterfinals. The world No. 42 was a tough opponent for Garcia and kept the tension high throughout the match.

From the beginning, it seemed like it would be a close match. In the first two games, they played 26 points and had seven break points in 16 minutes. Garcia was the first to strike, getting a break in the eighth game of the first set, which was enough for her to take it 6-3 in 52 minutes.

In the second set, it was once again even, but in the ninth game, the Frenchwoman got another break, and with authority in her serve, she was able to close out the match 6-3, 6-4.

To win her first title of the year, world No. 5 will face third seed Donna Vekic in the final.