Mertens Defeats Gracheva for the Second Consecutive Year in Charleston

After successfully making her debut at the WTA 500 tournament in Charleston against Harriet Dart (6-1, 3-6, 6-1), Varvara Gracheva faced Elise Mertens for a spot in the round of 16.

A sense of déjà vu, as the two players had already met in the second round of the same tournament last year, with the Belgian prevailing in three sets. This marked the third encounter between Mertens and Gracheva, with the latter still seeking her first victory against the world No. 28.

Comfortable on return games, Mertens secured a total of six breaks throughout the match and proved opportunistic in the first set (three breaks, four break points saved).

In the second set, the Singapore tournament champion earlier this season struggled to close it out. While seemingly cruising toward a straightforward victory—leading 5-1 with a double break—the Belgian saw the Frenchwoman rally with four consecutive games. Ultimately, the 29-year-old accelerated at the right moment to claim the final two games (6-3, 7-5).

Mertens thus extends her dominance over Gracheva for the second consecutive year and advances to the Charleston round of 16. She will face Zheng Qinwen, who eliminated Maria Sakkari in straight sets (6-4, 6-1), for a place in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Gracheva now holds eight losses in twelve official matches this season and has not secured back-to-back wins in the same tournament since October in Hong Kong.