Australian Open: Elise Mertens moves into quarterfinals

The Belgian defeated Petra Martic 7-6 (7/4), 7-5.

Elise Mertens became the first Belgian to move into the last eight in six years.

Elise Mertens became the first Belgian to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open since Kim Clijsters in 2012 with a straight sets win over Petra Martic on Sunday. The unseeded World No. 37 edged the big-serving Croat 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 in almost two hours of baseline war on Margaret Court Arena.

In-form Mertens is making her Australian Open main draw debut and is on a nine-match win streak after making a successful title defence in the warm-up event in Hobart just over a week ago.

‘Good start to the year’

"I've had an amazingly good start to the year," she said after having to grind out victory after leading 4-0 in the first set and being broken in the second when serving for the match for a first time.

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She could next face another in-form player, fourth seed Elina Svitolina who won the Brisbane International warm-up. The Ukrainian will first need to get through a late match against qualifier Denisa Allertova.

Mertens is in uncharted territory in her fifth appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam. She has only once before got past the opening round in a major, at Roland Garros last year when she reached the third round.