Coco Gauff vs Elise Mertens • Beijing 2026

This round of 16 pits third seed Coco Gauff against No. 13 seed Elise Mertens, with a place in the quarterfinals on the line. Gauff arrives with nine wins from her last ten matches, compared to seven for Mertens over the same period.

The head-to-head clearly favors the American: she leads 5-0 overall and 3-0 on hard courts. Both players are right-handed and use a two-handed backhand.

In Beijing, Gauff won her two previous rounds in 89 and 138 minutes. Mertens needed three sets in both of her wins, in 136 and then 174 minutes: how she manages that recent workload will be something to watch.

In their last meeting, on February 18, 2026 in Dubai, Coco Gauff beat Elise Mertens on a hard court, 26 76 63. The American, who came through after dropping the first set, prevailed at the end of a particularly hard-fought battle lasting 138 minutes. That win extended her lead to five victories in their head-to-head.