Mertens Ends Gauff’s Beijing Run as Świątek, Zheng and Svitolina Reach Quarterfinals

Elise Mertens delivered the biggest result of the China Open's second round-of-16 session, beating #3 Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday in Beijing to join Iga Świątek, Zheng Qinwen and Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals.

The #13 seed needed 78 minutes for her first win over Gauff in six meetings. Mertens faced only one break point and kept punishing an erratic serving day from the 2024 China Open champion, who finished with 34 unforced errors, including eight double faults. Gauff never found the sustained pressure that carried her through her first two rounds, and Mertens controlled the important stretches of both sets.