Belgian tennis player Elise Mertens pulled off a major upset at the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament in Beijing on Wednesday, defeating world number four Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.
Mertens will next face world number nine Iga Świątek, who earlier secured her place in the last eight with a comfortable 6-1, 6-3 win over 18-year-old American Iva Jovic in one hour and 36 minutes.
The result eliminated the prospect of a marquee quarter-final clash between Świątek and Gauff. Gauff had entered the round of 16 match as the heavy favourite, having won all five of her previous career meetings against Mertens. The American came into the contest as a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, having won the 2023 US Open and the 2025 Roland Garros titles.
Elise Mertens, an experienced Belgian player ranked 19th in the world, took control of the match early in the first set. She broke Gauff's serve in the third game. Although Gauff broke back to level at 3-3, Mertens won the next three games in a row, eventually converting her sixth set point to take the opener 6-3.
High unforced error count for Gauff
Gauff struggled throughout the first set, committing 19 unforced errors against just six from Mertens. Commentating on the match for Polish network Canal+ Sport, commentator Dawid Celt remarked at set point that he did not know what was happening with Gauff, noting that she seemed ready to exit the set and was playing with full power but little accuracy.
Celt questioned whether Gauff could recover her form, observing that she avoided longer rallies and appeared to be hampered by limited movement or physical discomfort. Although he acknowledged Gauff as a fierce competitor, Celt stated that her display looked worrisome, while praising Mertens for her consistent play.
Securing the quarter-final victory
Gauff was unable to turn the match around in the second set. Serving at 5-3, Mertens earned three match points and converted the second with a service ace to complete her victory.
Mertens now advances to face Świątek in the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 event in Beijing. Świątek had earlier defeated Jovic, the world number 13, to open her path into the top eight of the tournament.
