The two players had met once before in December 2023, and on that occasion, Kessler surprisingly won in two sets on hard court in France.
In Abu Dhabi, the game is also played on hard court, and this time, Tauson led for most of the match, despite a promising start from the American. Tauson was broken in the first service game after aggressive American play and a Danish double fault.
But Tauson managed to break back right away and tied the game at 1-1. Tauson gradually settled into her stylish, hard-hitting game from the baseline and delivered several excellent drop shots or sliced shots that caused Kessler major problems.
Soon after, Tauson managed to break serve to claim a 4-2 lead, and it was enough to take the opening set a few games later. The American then asked for medical timeout between the first and second sets, but she was able to continue the match.
There was no trace of Kessler struggling physically throughout the second set, where she played with a lot of power, but Tauson had more variation and finesse in her game.
Kessler had several opportunities to break serve, but Tauson withstood the pressure and instead broke Kessler's serve at 4-4 with smart tactical play.
Subsequently, after a bit of trouble and a couple of American break points, Tauson served home the match.
In the semi-finals, Tauson will meet the winner of the match between Britain's Sonay Kartal and the Czech Sara Bejlek.