Simona Halep won five games in a row in the final set to beat Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals of the Qatar Open.

The world number three Halep beat Ukrainian Svitolina 6-3 3-6 6-4 and will face either Angelique Kerber or Elise Mertens in the final on Saturday.

Svitolina had three chances to go 5-1 up in the third set but Halep managed to turn the match around.

“I didn’t give up today and I promised myself I would never give up against her again,” said top seed Halep.

“She’s a very good fighter and it’s probably the best match of the tournament so far. I was strong in my legs and I was definitely not tired.

“It means a lot to me to win here and the crowd were pretty awesome.”

Saturday’s match will be Halep’s 34th career final, with the Romanian triumphing in Qatar in 2014 when she beat German Angelique Kerber 6-2 6-3.

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