Elise Mertens Beats Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 in Beijing, Her First Win in Six Meetings, to Reach the Quarters

BEIJING — Elise Mertens beat Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday at the China Open, her first win in six meetings with the American, and moved into a quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek.

Mertens, the 13th seed, closed the match with an ace. The WTA posted that she had "secured the W with an ace" and was through. Gauff, seeded third and ranked fourth, had reached at least the semifinals in each of her three previous appearances here and won the title in 2024. The run ended in the round of 16.

The score was straightforward. Mertens had needed three sets to get past Katie Volynets in the second round and three more against Jelena Ostapenko. Against Gauff she did not drop a set. On Diamond Court, an outdoor hard court, she took both sets 6-3 in a match that lasted a little over an hour on the live boards before the final games. A mid-match scoreboard had her up a set and a break. The finished line was 6-3, 6-3.

Swiatek had already won her round-of-16 match, 6-1, 6-3 over Iva Jovic. The quarterfinal is a Belgian who has just beaten a top-five player against the Pole who has owned this part of the draw for years. Mertens' path was the longer one. Gauff's exit is the upset.

Gauff came in as one of the favorites and as the 2024 champion. A 6-3, 6-3 loss to a player she had beaten in the first five meetings is a break in both records. The head-to-head had been one-sided enough that the WTA's note was the win, not the manner. Mertens did not need a third set. She needed an ace on the last point.

The China Open runs through Oct. 11. Defending champion Amanda Anisimova is the name on the women's title. Gauff will not be the one who takes it from her. Mertens, who spent two matches in deciding sets before this one, is in the last eight with the cleaner score of the week against the higher-ranked player. Swiatek is next. The six-meeting wait is over.