Elise Mertens has beaten Iga Swiatek in straight sets to reach the semi-finals of the China Open, her first at this level since 2021. It was her third win of the week over a Grand Slam champion, after Jelena Ostapenko and Coco Gauff.
Elise Mertens beat Iga Swiatek on Friday, October 9, to reach the semi-finals of the China Open in Beijing, ESPN reported.
The Result
- Score: 7-6 (0), 6-3
- Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes
Mertens won the first-set tie-break without losing a point.
Three Champions in a Row
Swiatek, the number eight seed, has won six Grand Slam titles.
She is the third major champion Mertens has beaten in Beijing this week, after Jelena Ostapenko and Coco Gauff.
“Sometimes you just grow into a tournament,” Mertens said.
It is her first singles semi-final at a WTA 1000 event, the tier just below the Grand Slams, since 2021.
Her Semi-Final Opponent
Mertens next plays Zheng Qinwen, the Olympic gold medallist and home favourite.
Zheng beat the number six seed, Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 7-6 (8).
“It was a really great win for me,” Zheng said. “I think she also played her best tennis.”
Zheng reached the quarter-finals of this year’s US Open as a qualifier.
The Other Half
The winner of that semi-final will face Mirra Andreeva in Sunday’s final. Andreeva, the number four seed, beat Nikola Bartunkova in straight sets in the other semi-final, the WTA reported.
Image: Elise Mertens in 2018 (file photo). Photo by Carine06 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
