Trending searches · 2026-10-07
Coco Gauff vs Elise Mertens: Mertens Wins 6-3, 6-3 at China Open, Faces Swiatek
This post was compiled with AI. We checked it against the original articles and announcements, but please confirm details in the linked sources. Trending on Google Trends (GB) 1,000+ · (CA) 100+; sources collected 2026-10-07 18:10 (KST).
In one line
Elise Mertens beat Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. It was the Belgian's first win over Gauff in six meetings. Mertens plays Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.
Why people are searching
Google Trends listed "coco gauff" at 1,000+ searches in the United Kingdom and 100+ in Canada when we checked at 6:10 p.m. Korea time on Oct. 7. The stories attached were about Mertens knocking Gauff out of the China Open. The rise appears to follow the upset, since Gauff was the No. 3 seed and the 2024 Beijing champion.
Key table
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Round | Round of 16 |
| Score | Mertens 6-3, 6-3 |
| Seeds | No. 13 vs No. 3 |
| Ranking | Gauff world No. 4 |
| H2H before | Gauff 5-0 |
| Next | QF vs Swiatek |
How the match went
Mertens took both sets 6-3 in a match that lasted a little over an hour, and she closed it out with an ace. Gauff made 34 unforced errors, eight of them double faults, and won 61% of the points behind her first serve and 42% behind her second. According to the WTA's match report, the closing ace was Mertens' second of the match, she won 10 of her last 11 service points, and four of Gauff's double faults came in the game that cost her the first set.
Gauff had won all five previous meetings. The WTA report notes that Mertens had come close before, leading 6-0, 3-1 at Eastbourne in 2021 and holding three match points in Dubai eight months ago.
What it means for Mertens
- First WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2021. TennisTemple puts her last one at Madrid that year.
- 15th career win over a top-10 player, according to TennisTemple and Puntodebreak.
- A hard road here. She needed three sets against Katie Volynets in the second round and three more against Jelena Ostapenko in the third round before her first straight-sets win of the week.
In her on-court interview, Mertens said her coach and boyfriend has a birthday the next day and that she dedicated the win to him.
Swiatek is next
Swiatek beat Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-3 on Wednesday. Swiatek, the 2023 Beijing champion, leads Mertens 2-0 in their head-to-head.
What we could not confirm
- Gauff's "no energy" comment to her team: reported by the WTA only.
- Mertens' world ranking (No. 19) and age (30): each appears in one report only.
- Exact match time: reports say "just over an hour" without a figure.
- Prize money: Tennis Tonic only.
- Gauff's form streak: Puntodebreak says she had reached at least the semifinals in every event since Wimbledon, while IBTimes says she reached at least the semifinals in her three previous Beijing appearances. We could not match the two.
- Quarterfinal date and time: not stated in any of the reports we read.
Sources
- WTA, Mertens beats Gauff for first time in six meetings to make Beijing quarters (Oct. 7, 2026) https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4587818/mertens-beats-gauff-for-first-time-in-six-meetings-to-make-beijing-quarters
- WTA, By the numbers: Swiatek strengthens WTA 1000 record with Jovic win (Oct. 7, 2026) https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4587745/by-the-numbers-swiatek-strengthens-wta-1000-record-with-jovic-win
- IBTimes AU, Elise Mertens Beats Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 in Beijing (Oct. 7, 2026) https://www.ibtimes.com.au/elise-mertens-defeats-coco-gauff-china-open-1876385
- Tennishead, Elise Mertens makes comment about Coco Gauff after knocking her out of the China Open (Oct. 7, 2026) https://tennishead.net/elise-mertens-makes-comment-about-coco-gauff-after-knocking-her-out-of-the-china-open/
- TennisTemple, Gauff Upset by Mertens in Beijing, Denied Quarterfinal Clash With Swiatek (Oct. 7, 2026) https://en.tennistemple.com/actu/gauff-upset-by-mertens-in-beijing-denied/Drk8
- Puntodebreak, Gauff bids farewell to Beijing through the back door (Oct. 7, 2026) https://www.puntodebreak.com/en/2026/10/07/gauff-bids-farewell-to-beijing-through-the-back-door
- Sunday Guardian, WTA China Open 2026 Results: Elise Mertens Stuns Coco Gauff (Oct. 7, 2026) https://sundayguardianlive.com/sports/wta-china-open-2026-results-elise-mertens-stuns-coco-gauff-for-first-win-over-american-star-iga-swiatek-reaches-quarterfinals-tennis-latest-news-300703/
- Tennis Tonic, Elise Mertens gets by Gauff in the 4th round - Beijing results (Oct. 7, 2026) https://tennistonic.com/tennis-news/1062400/live-updates-elise-mertens-gets-by-gauff-in-the-4th-round-beijing-results/