Elise Mertens defeated Coco Gauff, 6-3, 6-3, in the fourth round of the China Open.
The 30-year-old Belgian walked onto the court as a major underdog against Gauff, who had won their first five WTA Tour meetings. But this wasn’t the same Gauff we usually see. The American struggled physically throughout, and Mertens capitalised, securing her first career win over the world number four.
Mertens was delighted with the win, advancing to her maiden China Open quarter-final with a straight-sets win over a multiple Grand Slam champion. She shared her thoughts on Gauff during her on-court interview.
Elise Mertens calls Coco Gauff an ‘incredible player’ after beating her for the first time in China
“I mean, she’s an incredible player, of course, I knew it was going to be a very tough match, but you know, I had a motivation, because my coach/boyfriend, it’s his birthday tomorrow, so for me, this win is dedicated to him and all the work we do,” said Mertens.
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“First of all, thanks, everyone, for coming. It’s an amazing atmosphere; it’s great to be back in Beijing, and, of course, I’m very happy with the win today. The atmosphere is amazing; a lot of people coming to watch is always a nice feeling, and good energy to be here.”
Mertens was then asked what expectations she had coming into the match, having struggled in Beijing and against Gauff in the past.
“Of course, the expectation, for myself, I didn’t really know what to expect. I know she won this tournament in the past; I’ve never been to the quarter-finals here, but I love Beijing,” she said.
Coco Gauff’s China Open results
- 2023 – Semi-finalist (Lost to Iga Swiatek)
- 2024 – Champion
- 2025 – Semi-finalist (Lost to Amanda Anisimova)
- 2026 – Fourth round (Lost to Elise Mertens)
Gauff won the China Open in 2024 and had never lost before the semi-finals before losing to Mertens on Wednesday, October 7. The Belgian was simply too good, producing a remarkable serving performance in Beijing.
Coco Gauff vs Elise Mertens – Match stats
| Stats | Coco Gauff | Elise Mertens |
| Aces | 3 | 2 |
| Double faults | 8 | 2 |
| 1st Serve % | 52% | 60% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 61% | 80% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 42% | 50% |
| Winners | 17 | 13 |
| Unforced errors | 34 | 11 |
| Total points won | 49 | 65 |
During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Johanna Konta was asked to comment on Gauff’s inability to touch Mertens on her first serve.
“No, not at all. And unfortunately, the stats will never show how it looked physically for Gauff. That is slightly shown in the unforced error count – the 34 unforced errors there – but, funnily enough, the 17 winners that still came off her racket just show how freely she was swinging in parts of that match,” she said.
“But again, the story has just got to be that unfortunately Coco Gauff just wasn’t able to show up in her entirety as we’re used to seeing.”
Gauff will now rest up ahead of the Wuhan Open, which begins on Tuesday, October 13. Gauff won the Wuhan Open last year, defeating Jessica Pegula in the final.
Who will Elise Mertens play in the China Open quarter-finals?
While Gauff travels to Wuhan, Mertens will rest up ahead of her quarter-final match against Iga Swiatek. Like Gauff, the Pole is a former champion in Beijing, lifting the trophy in 2023.
2026 China Open women’s singles quarter-finals
- QF 1 – Alina Charaeva or Qinwen Zheng vs Ann Li or Elina Svitolina
- QF 2 – Elise Mertens vs Iga Swiatek
- QF 3 – Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Mirra Andreeva
- QF 4 – Karolina Muchova vs Nikola Bartunkova
Earlier on Wednesday, Swiatek defeated Iva Jovic in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, to seal her spot in the quarter-finals. Swiatek leads Mertens 2-0 in their head-to-head, although that’s not to say the Belgian can’t cause an upset in their third career meeting.
“I think it will be a great opportunity to see Elise Mertens against someone I think she could bother, Swiatek,” said Konta when asked about Mertens’ quarter-final chances.
Swiatek and Mertens will battle it out for a place in the China Open semi-finals on Thursday, October 8. The winner will face Alina Charaeva, Qinwen Zheng, Ann Li, or Elina Svitolina.
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