Elise Mertens stuns Swiatek to reach China Open semi
Ranked 19th, Belgian Elise Mertens defeated former champion Iga Swiatek 7-6, 6-3 in a China Open quarter-final upset.
Elise Mertens pulled off one of the week's biggest upsets, beating Iga Swiatek 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 to reach the China Open semi-finals. The 30-year-old Belgian, ranked 19th, also knocked out American third seed Coco Gauff earlier in the tournament.
Mertens dominated the opening tiebreak without dropping a point, then broke Swiatek in the second set to secure the victory. Mertens reached her first WTA 1000 semi-final since 2021 and just the third of her career.
She now faces home favourite Zheng Qinwen, who beat sixth-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) to advance to her fourth career WTA 1000 semi-final.
- 19th
- Ranking
- 30 years old
- Age
- 7-6 (7-0), 6-3
- Set score
- Third
- Career WTA 1000 semis
Why it mattersMertens has proven she can beat anyone on the right day; a 30-year-old climbing the rankings shows tennis has no age limit for breakthrough runs.
AustraliaAustralian tennis fans enjoy watching top-tier women's tennis, and unexpected upsets make the sport more unpredictable and engaging to follow.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
