WTA Cori Gauff Elise Mertens WTA Pekín 2026

Gauff bids farewell to Beijing through the back door

Fernando Murciego - 7 Oct 2026
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Elise Mertens defeats champion Coco Gauff and marks her significant breakthrough at the WTA Beijing. Source: Getty

The WTA 1000 in Beijing has another surprise to add to its history. Elise Mertens has knocked out Coco Gauff, the current world number 4 and tournament champion in 2024, by winning 6-3, 6-3 and advancing to the quarterfinals. The Belgian delivered one of her best performances of the season to overcome one of the tournament's favorites and achieve her first victory against the American after five consecutive losses.

Gauff arrived in Beijing with great memories and impressive consistency in recent months. Since Wimbledon, the American had reached at least the semifinals in every tournament she played. However, this time she will leave much earlier than expected. Mertens capitalized on Gauff's doubts from the start and maintained control for much of the match. The Belgian was more consistent, punished her opponent's errors, and did not allow the American to find the necessary rhythm to react.

The 6-3 in the first set led to a second set in which Mertens once again showed superiority to close the match in two sets. The result is a significant blow for Gauff, who had not lost a match in two sets since February. In fact, it was probably her most understated performance in a long time, right at one of the tournaments where she had the best memories.

For Mertens, this victory means regaining a feeling she hadn't experienced in quite a while. This will be her seventh quarterfinals in a WTA 1000, but the first one since more than five years ago, specifically since 2021. Moreover, she has now achieved 15 victories in her career against top 10 players.

Now the reward could not be greater. Next up is Iga Swiatek, who had previously defeated Iva Jovic. An enormous opportunity for Mertens, who arrives on a roll and with the confidence of finally having beaten Gauff.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff se despide de Pekín por la puerta de atrás