Mertens claims her career after defeating Swiatek: "I've been doing this for many years"

Fernando Murciego - 9 Oct 2026 | 17:28
WTA Elise Mertens WTA Pekín 2026 Rueda de prensa

Ostapenko, Gauff, and Swiatek. This has been the journey taken by Elise Mertens to reach the semifinals of the WTA 1000 in Beijing. It's only natural that she took the opportunity during the press conference to reflect on her path.

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Elise Mertens claims her career after reaching the semifinals of the WTA Beijing: "I've been doing this for many years." Source: Getty

Today is a day to say that: 'How little is said about Elise Mertens'. The Belgian is that player who can spend a lifetime in the top 30, but has never found it easy to reach the final rounds. For this week, at the WTA 1000 in Beijing, her figure deserves all the recognition.

And how can we not give it when she has just defeated Jelena Ostapenko, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek all at once? Three champions of Roland Garros struggling in their attempt to catch the Belgian tennis player, especially inspired every time the Asian tour approaches. Surely very few people saw her today as capable of reaching the semifinals, so it’s time to listen to her press conference to understand what the keys have been.

Mertens reveals the secret to defeating Swiatek

"Honestly, I think the key has been consistency. I know she is an incredible player and can always come back into the match, so I tried to maintain the momentum. The first set was very close, but I had a great tiebreak. Then I told myself I needed to focus on my serving games, try to put a little more pressure on her, and not become too defensive. I wanted to push myself, and that’s what I did. In the end, I was very happy to close the match with my serve. It was another moment of a lot of nerves, but it turned out to be a fantastic victory for me."

A week that has gone from less to more

"Sometimes you just grow within a tournament. In my second match, my opponent had already played before and knew the conditions, while I still needed to feel the ball a bit. Then Ostapenko came along, who can also play magnificent tennis. There are no easy rounds here; I think I have grown as the week progressed, feeling more and more confident and playing with greater consistency. Now I have two consecutive victories against top 10 players, and that doesn’t happen every day. I’m trying to absorb it all; I didn’t expect today to turn out this way, but after the first set, I thought I needed to keep pushing. You never know what Swiatek can do."

Recognition for a hardworking career

"I continue doing the same things I've been doing for many years, so it’s nice to receive this recognition from time to time. This week is definitely one of the best of my year, along with Wimbledon. I’m very happy to still be here, both in singles and doubles; I will give 100% once again. Now the most important thing is to recover: eat, sleep, and repeat. First, I have to focus on the singles semifinals, and then we’ll see how much energy I have left for doubles. Singles must be the priority."

Beijing, a special place for the Belgian

"I love China, and I love Beijing. That’s why I want to stay here a few more days. The fans are very respectful, and although today they cheered a little more for Iga, I also felt a lot of affection from the crowd. I’m used to playing in environments where most people support my opponent, so it doesn’t bother me at all. It’s fantastic for women’s tennis that people come to watch us. Moreover, here we receive incredible gifts; they have given me stuffed animals and even a Wimbledon keychain with a picture of me. It’s something I only find in China, with such wonderful fans."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Mertens reivindica su carrera tras vencer a Swiatek: "Llevo haciendo esto durante muchos años"