Elise Mertens
Mertens at the 2023 US Open
Country (sports) Belgium
ResidenceHamont-Achel, Belgium
Born (1995-11-17) 17 November 1995
Leuven, Belgium
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Turned pro2013
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CoachChristopher Heyman, Alexander Kneepkens
Prize moneyUS$12,795,852
Singles
Career record415–237 (63.7%)
Career titles8
Highest rankingNo. 12 (26 November 2018)
Current rankingNo. 29 (6 November 2023)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenSF (2018)
French Open4R (2018, 2022, 2023)
Wimbledon4R (2019, 2022)
US OpenQF (2019, 2020)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games1R (2020)
Doubles
Career record345–143 (70.7%)
Career titles18
Highest rankingNo. 1 (10 May 2021)
Current rankingNo. 2 (6 November 2023)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (2021)
French OpenSF (2019)
WimbledonW (2021)
US OpenW (2019)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsW (2022)
Olympic Games1R (2020)
Team competitions
Fed CupQF (2018, 2019), record 13–7
Hopman CupRR (2018)
Last updated on: 8 November 2023.

Elise Mertens (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɛrtəns]; born 17 November 1995) is a Belgian professional tennis player. She became the world No. 1 in doubles in May 2021, the third Belgian to hold a top ranking in either singles or doubles after Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin.[1][2] Mertens is a three-time Major champion in doubles, having won the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open partnering Aryna Sabalenka, and the 2021 Wimbledon Championships with Hsieh Su-wei. She also finished runner-up at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships with Zhang Shuai and at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships with Storm Hunter.

Mertens has won 18 doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including the 2022 WTA Finals with Veronika Kudermetova, six at the WTA 1000 level, and finished runner-up at the 2021 WTA Finals alongside Hsieh.

Mertens is also a successful singles player, and reached her first major semifinal at the 2018 Australian Open, followed by two US Open quarterfinals in 2019 and 2020.[3][4] Mertens achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 12 in November 2018, and has won eight WTA Tour titles, including two at the WTA 500 level. She has represented Belgium in the Billie Jean King Cup since 2017, and competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in both singles and doubles.

Personal life

Mertens was born in Leuven, the second daughter of Liliane Barbe, a teacher, and Guido Mertens, who makes furniture for churches. She was home-schooled and enjoyed studying languages, speaking French, English, and Flemish Dutch. Her older sister, Lauren, is currently an airline pilot and introduced the then four-year-old Elise to tennis.[5] While growing up, Mertens looked up to Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, and was a member of the Kim Clijsters Academy, where she has been training from 2015[6] until it shut down in 2022.[7]

She is a vegetarian and campaigns for animal rights.

Tennis career

Early and junior years

Mertens was a doubles finalist at the ITF New Delhi, alongside Marina Melnikova.

She made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2015 Copa Colsanitas in the doubles event, partnering Nastja Kolar. She won her first WTA doubles title at the 2016 Auckland Open, partnering An-Sophie Mestach.

2017: First WTA singles title and top 40 debut

In January, Mertens won the Hobart International, beating No. 3 seed Monica Niculescu in the final. As a result of this she broke into the WTA top 100 for the first time, on 16 January 2017.[8]

After missing the Australian Open qualifying due to her Hobart campaign, Mertens reached the first round of the St. Petersburg Trophy through qualifying, and lost to Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets. She then competed at the Dubai Championships, where, as a qualifier, she beat Tsvetana Pironkova en route to the second round, where she lost to Agnieszka Radwańska. Despite her loss, Mertens reached a new career-ranking of world No. 69. She then lost in the first round of the Malaysian Open to qualifier and eventual quarterfinalist Lesley Kerkhove. After that, she failed to qualify to both Indian Wells and Miami Open, losing in the first round of qualifying to Sachia Vickery and Alison Van Uytvanck, respectively.

At the Ladies Open Biel Bienne, Mertens upset No. 8 seed Monica Niculescu and beat Mona Barthel en route to the quarterfinals, losing there to eventual finalist Anett Kontaveit.[5]

2018: Masters doubles title, first major semifinal and three singles titles

Mertens at the 2018 French Open

Mertens began the season by becoming the first woman to win back-to-back titles in Hobart. She defeated Mihaela Buzărnescu in the final, defending her title from 2017. Along with Demi Schuurs, she also won the doubles title.[9]

Mertens' season continued with her main-draw debut at the Australian Open. She defeated qualifier Viktória Kužmová, 23rd seed Daria Gavrilova, Alizé Cornet and Petra Martić, all in straight sets, to advance to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.[10] In the quarterfinal, Mertens achieved her first victory over a top five ranked player, defeating Elina Svitolina, again in straight sets.[3][11] With her win over Svitolina, Mertens became the third Belgian woman to reach the last four at the tournament, joining former ranking leaders Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters. In the semifinals she lost to Caroline Wozniacki, in straight sets.[12]

After her good form in Australia, Mertens had some difficult weeks. She lost, respectively, in the first round of Doha, Dubai and Indian Wells and in the second round in Miami. In April, she reached her fourth singles final and second of the year at the Lugano Open in Switzerland. She won the title by beating Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets. Together with compatriot Kirsten Flipkens, she also won the doubles title. Two weeks later, she also won the singles title at the Morocco Open by defeating Australian Ajla Tomljanović, in straight sets.

Mertens lost in the second round at Madrid to top seed Simona Halep. She reached the fourth round at the French Open, defeating Varvara Lepchenko, Heather Watson, and Daria Gavrilova before falling again to Halep, who went on to win the title. Seeded second at 's Hertogenbosch, she lost in the second round to Antonia Lottner.

Mertens started off the grass-court season with first-round loss to qualifier Dalila Jakupović in Birmingham. In Eastbourne, she lost in third round to Aryna Sabalenka. At Wimbledon, Mertens lost in third round to Dominika Cibulková.[13]

In the American swing, Mertens reached the semifinals in San Jose as well as quarterfinals in Montreal and Cincinnati. In doubles, she ended runner-up in Cincinnati and won the final in Wuhan, partnering Demi Schuurs.

2019: First Premier title, Sunshine Double and US Open titles in doubles

Mertens started in Brisbane with a first-round exit against top-10 player and sixth seed Kiki Bertens, she lost the match in three sets.[14] Then in Sydney, she got her first two wins of the season by defeating Katerina Siniaková and Anett Kontaveit before losing in the quarterfinals to Ashleigh Barty.[15]

Defending semifinalist points from last year, she entered the Australian Open as the 12th seed. She won her first and second match in straight sets, before falling to 17th seed Madison Keys in the third round.[16] Due to her early exit, her ranking fell to No. 21.

Mertens played Fed Cup in her homecountry for the first time. She was unable to win her two matches against Alizé Cornet and Caroline Garcia. In the week after, she moved to Doha to play the Qatar Open. She began unseeded at this tournament, but she surprisingly won her first Premier title. On her route to the tournament win, she took the scalp of three top-10 players, including Kiki Bertens, Angelique Kerber and world No. 2, Simona Halep. After her biggest career win to date, she came back in the top 20 at No. 16.

Just two days later, Mertens played in Dubai, where she was placed as 16th seed. She lost in her opening-match against qualifier Zhu Lin, after a battle of nearly three hours.

In March at Indian Wells, as the 16th seeded, she lost in the third round in another battle near three hours against 18th seed Wang Qiang. Even though she lost early in singles, she was able to win a big doubles title alongside Sabalenka at Indian Wells, defeating first seeds Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková in the final. Two weeks later, the pair also won the Miami Open doubles title, completing the Sunshine Double. Mertens and Sabalenka became just the fifth doubles pairing in history, and first since Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza in 2015, to complete the Sunshine Double in doubles. These titles took Mertens inside the top 10 in doubles for the first time.

Mertens had a rough start to the clay-court season, losing in the opening round of four of her first five tournaments (the exception being a quarterfinal appearance in Morocco where she was upset by the eventual tournament champion Maria Sakkari). Seeded 20th at the French Open, Mertens beat Tamara Zidanšek and Diane Parry to advance to the third round, where she was beaten by 12th seed Anastasija Sevastova in a three-hour 18-minute match three-set match, despite winning the first set and holding five match points in the decider. Mertens and Sabalenka performed well in the doubles draw, where they were seeded sixth. The pair reached the semifinals, in which they were defeated by second seeds and eventual champions, Tímea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic.

Mertens at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships

Mertens performed much stronger in the grass-court season warmup events, making the quarterfinals in Mallorca and the third round in Eastbourne (in both tournaments she lost to the eventual champions, Sofia Kenin and Karolína Plíšková, respectively). Seeded 21st at Wimbledon, Mertens advanced to the fourth round for the first time, taking out Fiona Ferro, Monica Niculescu and 15th seed Wang Qiang. However, she was upset by world No. 54, Barbora Strýcová, after having a one-set lead. In doubles, Mertens and Sabalenka advanced to the quarterfinals, but were defeated by eventual champions Strýcová and Hsieh Su-wei, the second consecutive major the pair lost to the team that would go on to win the tournament.

In the early summer hardcourt season, Mertens struggled to replicate her 2018 success, losing her opening round match in San Jose to Kristie Ahn and falling in the second round of Toronto and Cincinnati to Serena Williams and Elina Svitolina, respectively. At the US Open, in September, Mertens was seeded 25th in singles. She defeated Jil Teichmann, Kristýna Plíšková, and former world No. 9, Andrea Petkovic, in straight sets, before taking revenge on wildcard Kristie Ahn to reach her second Grand Slam singles quarterfinal, becoming the first Belgian woman to reach the last eight since Kim Clijsters won the title in 2010.[4] She once again squandered a one-set lead, going down in three sets to world No. 15 and the eventual champion, Bianca Andreescu. Playing doubles with Sabalenka, the pair reached the final with ease, dropping just one set along the way. The pair then defeated Victoria Azarenka and Ashleigh Barty in the final, winning their first Grand Slam doubles title both as a team and individually. Mertens became the first Belgian to reach a US Open final, as well as winning one, in doubles, and the first Belgian woman to win a Grand Slam doubles title since Clijsters won Wimbledon in 2003. Following the tournament, she reached a new career-high doubles ranking of No. 2 in the world.

Mertens failed to register much success in singles during the Asian hardcourt swing, outside of a semifinal appearance at the Pan Pacific Open, but reached her fourth doubles final of the year with Sabalenka at the Premier 5-level Wuhan Open, where the pair lost to Duan Yingying and Veronika Kudermetova. Mertens' consistency in both disciplines qualified her to compete in both year-end tournaments. She first competed at the WTA Elite Trophy in singles, where she qualified for the second straight year. Drawn in the same group as her doubles partner Sabalenka, she was beaten in three close sets by the Belarusian before defeating Sakkari in three sets. Placing second in her round-robin group, she failed to advance to her semifinals (Sabalenka won the title). She next competed at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, playing doubles. The pair fell to Babos and Mladenovic in three sets before recording a straight sets win over the Taiwanese sisters Chan Hao-ching and Latisha Chan. Needing a win over Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Demi Schuurs to advance to the semifinals, they were beaten in three close sets, ending their tournament and season. She finished the year ranked No. 17 in singles and No. 6 in the world in doubles.

2020: Two singles finals, US Open quarterfinals

Mertens opened the year by reaching the quarterfinals in both Shenzhen, where she was beaten by Elena Rybakina, and Hobart, losing to Heather Watson. Seeded 16th at the Australian Open, Mertens eased through to the fourth round with straight-set wins over Danka Kovinić, Watson and CiCi Bellis before being defeated by Simona Halep. In doubles, Mertens and Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals where they lost to Chan Hao-ching and Latisha Chan. After losing early in both Dubai and Doha, Mertens was next scheduled to play in Indian Wells, but the tournament was cancelled and the tour suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the tour resumed in August, Mertens lost her opening match in Palermo, but bounced back by reaching her first final of the year at the Prague Open. She then lost to Halep for the second time that year. At the Cincinnati Open, Mertens advanced to her first ever Premier 5 semifinal, where she was beaten by Naomi Osaka in straight sets.

Seeded 16th at the 2020 US Open, Mertens opened her campaign by beating Laura Siegemund in straight sets, followed by two-set wins over Sara Sorribes Tormo and 18-year old Caty McNally. She then caused a huge upset by defeating the second seed and reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in straight sets, making it to the quarterfinals of the US Open for the second consecutive year.[17] However, she was thrashed in the quarterfinal by former world No. 1, Victoria Azarenka, winning just one game. Mertens and Sabalenka also played doubles together, where they were the defending champions. They were beaten in the quarterfinals by the eventual champions Siegemund and Zvonareva.

Mertens continued in good form throughout to the end of the year. She made quarterfinals at Rome, losing again to Karolina Plíšková in three sets. She lost in the third round of the French Open to Caroline Garcia. She then went to the Ostrava Open and defeated Amanda Anisimova and Karolína Muchová both in straight sets. She eventually lost in a rematch against Azarenka however with a closer scoreline this time. She did not leave empty handed though, as her and Aryna Sabalenka took the doubles title together. She finished off the year with a final finish at Linz Open losing to Sabalenka a couple weeks after winning a title together.

2021: Two Major titles and world No. 1 in doubles, Olympics debut

Mertens started off her 2021 season at the first edition of the Gippsland Trophy. Seeded seventh, she won her sixth WTA singles title beating Kaia Kanepi in the final.[18] This was her first singles title in two years. Seeded 18th at the Australian Open, she eliminated 11th seed, Belinda Bencic, in the third round.[19] Her winning streak at the start of the season ended at seven when she lost to 25th seed, Karolína Muchová, in the fourth round.[20] In doubles, she and Sabalenka won their second Grand Slam title as a team defeating Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková in the championship match.[21]

Mertens continued her good run of form since the end of lockdown at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Seeded tenth, she reached the semifinals where she fell to ninth seed Garbiñe Muguruza.[22] Seeded 16th at the Miami Open, she made the fourth round where she was beaten by second seed, Naomi Osaka, who was on a 20-match-win streak at the time.[23]

Mertens began her clay-court season at the Charleston Open. Seeded seventh, she suffered a second-round upset at the hands of Alizé Cornet.[24] As the top seed at the İstanbul Cup, she made it to the final where she lost to Sorana Cîrstea.[25] As the top seed in doubles alongside Kudermetova, they won the title beating Nao Hibino and Makoto Ninomiya in the final.[26] Seeded 13th at the Madrid Open, she upset world No. 3 and two-time champion, Simona Halep, in the third round.[27] In the quarterfinals, she retired during her match against world No. 7 and fifth seed, Aryna Sabalenka, due to a left thigh injury.[28] As the top seed in doubles with partner Hsieh Su-wei, they lost in the second round to Jeļena Ostapenko and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Despite the loss, Mertens hit a huge milestone in her doubles career on 10 May 2021 by becoming the world No. 1 for the first time, joining Kim Clijsters as the second Belgian player to do so.[29] Seeded 14th in Rome, she fell in the first round to Kudermetova.[30] Seeded 14th at the French Open, she reached the third round but lost to world No. 18 and eventual semifinalist, Maria Sakkari, in three sets.[31] In doubles, she and Su-wei were defeated in the third round by eventual finalists Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Iga Świątek despite having had seven match points.[32]

Mertens kicked off her grass-court season at the Birmingham Classic. As the top seed, she lost her first-round match to Ajla Tomljanović in three sets which all were tie-breaks.[33] In the doubles event with Hsieh, they reached the semifinals and lost to Ons Jabeur and Ellen Perez.[34] After Birmingham, Mertens competed at the Eastbourne International where she was the seventh seed. Despite winning the first set 6–0, she was beaten in the first round by Coco Gauff.[35] Seeded 13th at Wimbledon, she lost in the third round to 23rd seed Madison Keys.[36] In doubles, again partnering Hsieh, she reached the final. In the final, they faced the pair of Elena Vesnina and Veronika Kudermetova. In a tight match, they fought back, after having lost the first set and their opponents serving for the championship in both the second and third sets, saving two championship points in the former, and Mertens failing to successfully serve for the championship herself, to win the title.[37] In the process, she became the first Belgian player to win three doubles Grand Slam titles and kept her unbeaten record in Grand Slam finals intact. By reaching the final and winning the title, she regained the world No. 1 spot she held previously for a week in May 2021.[38][39]

The week of July 24 saw Mertens representing Belgium at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Seeded 12th, she fell in the first round to Ekaterina Alexandrova.[40]

Mertens got her US Open preparation underway at the Silicon Valley Classic. As the top seed, she reached the semifinals where she lost to fourth seed Daria Kasatkina.[41] Seeded ninth at the Canadian Open in Montreal, she was defeated in the first round by eventual champion Camila Giorgi.[42] Seeded 15th at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, she was ousted from the tournament in the second round by Elena Rybakina.[43] Seeded 15th at the US Open, she beat 20th seed, Ons Jabeur, in the third round.[44] She was eliminated in the fourth round by world No. 2 and second seed, Aryna Sabalenka.[45] As the top seed in doubles alongside Hsieh Su-wei, they reached the quarterfinals where they lost to 11th seeded team and eventual finalists, Coco Gauff and Caty McNally.[46]

Seeded second at the Luxembourg Open, Mertens reached the quarterfinals where she lost to fifth seed Markéta Vondroušová.[47] Seeded seventh at the first edition of the Chicago Classic, she was defeated in the third round by tenth seed Danielle Collins.[48] Seeded 14th at the Indian Wells Open, she suffered a second-round loss at the hands of lucky loser Jasmine Paolini.[49] In doubles, she and Hsieh won the doubles title by defeating Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Rybakina in the final. It was Mertens's second Indian Wells doubles title. With the victory, she regained the doubles No. 1 ranking.[50] At the end of 2021 she decided to stop her longstanding collaboration with her coach Ceyssens, choosing Simon Goffin, David Goffin’s brother instead.[51][52]

2022: WTA Finals champion & Wimbledon finalist in doubles

Mertens at the 2022 French Open

Mertens started her 2022 season at the Sydney Tennis Classic where she lost to Daria Kasatkina in the second round.[53] Seeded 19th at the Australian Open, she reached the fourth round where she was defeated by 27th seed and eventual finalist, Danielle Collins.[54] Seeded third in doubles, she reached the semifinals with new partner, Veronika Kudermetova, where they lost to eventual champions Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková.[55]

Seeded eighth at the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, Mertens fell in the quarterfinals to top seed and eventual finalist, Maria Sakkari.[56] In Dubai, she was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by lucky loser and last year semifinalist, Jil Teichmann.[57] She won her fifteenth doubles title with Kudermetova, defeating Jeļena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok in the final.[58] Seeded 16th at the Qatar Open, she won her second-round match when her opponent, two-time champion Petra Kvitová, retired due to a left wrist injury.[59] She was beaten in the third round by fourth seed and eventual finalist, Anett Kontaveit.[60] In doubles, she and Kudermetova reached the final which they lost to Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.[61] Seeded 20th at the Indian Wells Open, she lost in the third round to qualifier Daria Saville.[62] As the top seed and defending champion in doubles, she and Kudermetova were defeated in the first round by Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya.[63] Seeded 20th at the Miami Open, she lost in the second round to Czech wildcard Linda Fruhvirtová.[64] As the top seed in doubles alongside Kudermetova, they made it to the final where they lost to Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva.[65]

Mertens began her clay-court season at the İstanbul Cup. As the top seed and last year finalist, she retired during her first-round match against Rebecca Peterson due to a right leg injury.[66] Mertens returned to action during the week of May 15 at Strasbourg. Seeded fourth, she lost in the quarterfinals to eventual finalist Kaja Juvan.[67] In doubles, she and partner, Diane Parry, reached the semifinals where they fell to Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Daria Saville.[68] Seeded 31st at Roland Garros, she reached the fourth round where she lost to 18th seed and eventual finalist, Coco Gauff.[69] Seeded second in doubles, she and Kudermetova lost in the third round to 13th seeded team of Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan.[70] Despite the third round loss, she regained her No. 1 ranking in doubles following the conclusion of the tournament on 6 June 2022.

Starting her grass-court season seeded eighth at the Libéma Open, Mertens lost in the second round to compatriot Alison Van Uytvanck.[71] Seeded fourth at the Birmingham Classic, she was defeated in the first round by qualifier Caty McNally.[72] In doubles, she and Zhang Shuai, as the top seeds, made it to the final. Unfortunately, they handed Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jeļena Ostapenko a walkover in the final due to a back injury Zhang suffered during her singles final match.[73] Seeded 13th at the Eastbourne International, she was beaten in the second round by qualifier and compatriot, Kirsten Flipkens.[74] Seeded 24th at Wimbledon, she upset 2018 champion and 15th seed, Angelique Kerber, in the third round,[75] before losing to third seed and eventual finalist, Ons Jabeur.[76] Following a seven-month partnership, she announced her split from coach Simon Goffin.[77] As the top seed in doubles with Zhang, she reached the final for a second consecutive time at this major.[78] They lost in the championship match to second seeded team Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková.[79]

Mertens lost her world No. 1 doubles ranking on 14 August 2022. She withdrew prior to the 2022 Tennis in the Land feeling pain in her right thigh yet still decided to go to the US Open. She lost in the first round of singles to Irina-Camelia Begu, and as the top seed of the US Open in doubles, partnering Kudermetova, won the first round but withdrew prior to round two due to the leg injury not being able to defend her prior year quarterfinal points.[80]

Mertens returned from injury at the Pan Pacific Open. She lost in the second round to Claire Liu in singles but reached the doubles' semifinals partnering Kudermetova. Elise finally broke her poor run of form at the Jasmin Open as she stormed into her first singles final in almost 14 months. She defeated Jaqueline Cristian, Despina Papamichail, Moyuka Uchijima and avenged her last loss to Claire Liu in route to the final. In the final, she cruised past Alizé Cornet losing just two games to win her seventh WTA Tour title in Monastir.[81]

In Guadalajara, Mertens lost to Anna Kalinskaya in the second round but she reached the doubles quarterfinal with Kudermetova and qualified for the WTA Finals in doubles for a fourth consecutive year (with four different partners).[82][83] In Fort Worth, Mertens along with Kudermetova raced into the doubles final, as they finished 3–0 in the round-robin stage and eased past Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs in the semifinals.[84][85] In the final, they came back from 2–7 down in the match-tiebreak to outlast defending champions & six time Grand Slam champions Krejčíková and Siniaková and win their third doubles title together. This made Mertens the first Belgian to win the WTA Finals in doubles.[86]

2023: Second Australian Open quarterfinal, two WTA 1000 titles and back to World No. 1 in doubles

Mertens at the 2023 US Open

In doubles she reached her second quarterfinal at the Australian Open, with new partner Storm Hunter. In singles she returned to the top 30 on 3 April 2023 at world No. 29 following a fourth round showing at the 2023 Miami Open where she defeated Alycia Parks, eight seed Daria Kasatkina and 29th seed Petra Martic.

At the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open she also reached the fourth round with wins over Rebecca Marino and Jule Niemeier but lost to Mayar Sherif. In doubles, at the Italian Open, she won her fifth WTA 1000 title partnering with Hunter.[87] As a result, she returned to the top 10 in doubles on 22 May 2023.[88][89] At the 2023 French Open she reached the fourth round with wins over lucky losers Viktória Hrunčáková and Camila Osorio, third seed Jessica Pegula before losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

She returned to world No. 1 in doubles on 25 September 2023 after more then a year, following a semifinal showing at the 2023 Guadalajara Open Akron with Hunter. They reached the final of the tournament defeating Caroline Dolehide and Asia Muhammad.[90] They won the title defeating Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski.[91] At the same tournament in singles, she lost in the second round to Leylah Fernandez.[92]

She won her eighth singles title at the 2023 Jasmin Open in Monastir, by successfully defending it with a defeat over Italian Jasmine Paolini, and returned to the top 30 in the rankings.

At the 2023 ATP Finals, she reached the semifinals in doubles with Hunter and finished the year ranked No. 2 in doubles for the first time.

2024: Third final in Hobart

Seeded as the top seed, she reached her third final at the 2024 Hobart International where she lost to second seed and first-time finalist Emma Navarro.[93][94]

Playing style

Mertens is a baseline player, whose game blends her excellent defensive skills with aggressive shot making capabilities. Her groundstrokes are hit very flat, with little topspin applied, allowing her shots to penetrate consistently deep into the court, despite Mertens' comparatively slight build. Although both her groundstrokes are reliable, her backhand is stronger, and is responsible for the majority of winners she accumulates on the court; she particularly excels at redirecting power down the line with her backhand. When in good form, Mertens hits a significant number of winners, although this can be accompanied by a large number of unforced errors. One of Mertens' major weapons is her return of serve, hitting many return winners, and effectively neutralising powerful first serves. Mertens' serve is strong, with her first serve peaking at 119 mph (192 km/h) and averaging at 99 mph (159 km/h), allowing her to serve multiple aces in any match; her first serve isn't reliable, however, with her first serve percentage typically averaging 58%. To minimise double faults, however, Mertens possesses an effective second serve, which has a tremendous amount of kick, averaging 79 mph (127 km/h); this also prevents opponents from scoring free points off her second serve. Due to her increasing doubles experience, Mertens is a highly effective net player, and frequently chooses to finish points at the net. Mertens' superlative fitness, stamina, speed, footwork, and court coverage allow her to excel at counterpunching, and extend points until she creates the opportunity to hit low-risk winners; as such, she is one of the most effective players on the WTA Tour at turning defence into offence, due to her excellent point construction. Mertens possesses extreme mental toughness, and has been noted for her consistency and determination on court, making her a formidable opponent.[95] Mertens has stated that her favourite surface is grass, although the vast majority of her success has come on hard courts.[5]

Career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timelines

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles

Tournament201520162017201820192020 2021202220232024SRW–LWin%
Australian Open A Q2 A SF 3R 4R 4R 4R 3R 2R 0 / 7 19–7 73%
French Open A Q3 3R 4R 3R 3R 3R 4R 4R 0 / 7 17–7 71%
Wimbledon Q3 Q2 1R 3R 4R NH 3R 4R 2R 0 / 6 11–6 65%
US Open Q1 1R 1R 4R QF QF 4R 1R 3R 0 / 8 16–8 67%
Win–loss 0–0 0–1 2–3 13–4 11–4 9–3 10–4 9–4 8–4 1–1 0 / 28 63–28 69%

Doubles

Tournament201520162017201820192020 2021202220232024SRW–LWin%
Australian Open A A 2R 1R 3R QF W SF QF 1 / 7 18–6 75%
French Open A A 1R 1R SF 2R 3R 3R 3R 0 / 7 11–7 61%
Wimbledon A 2R 3R 3R QF NH W F F 1 / 7 24–6 80%
US Open A A 2R QF W QF QF 2R 1R 1 / 7 16–5 76%
Win–loss 0–0 1–1 4–4 5–4 15–3 6–3 16–2 12–3 10–4 0–0 3 / 28 69–24 74%

Grand Slam tournament finals

Doubles: 5 (3 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 2019 US Open Hard Belarus Aryna Sabalenka Belarus Victoria Azarenka
Australia Ashleigh Barty
7–5, 7–5
Win 2021 Australian Open Hard Belarus Aryna Sabalenka Czech Republic Barbora Krejčíková
Czech Republic Kateřina Siniaková
6–2, 6–3
Win 2021 Wimbledon Grass Chinese Taipei Hsieh Su-wei Russia Veronika Kudermetova
Russia Elena Vesnina
3–6, 7–5, 9–7
Loss 2022 Wimbledon Grass China Zhang Shuai Czech Republic Barbora Krejčíková
Czech Republic Kateřina Siniaková
2–6, 4–6
Loss 2023 Wimbledon Grass Australia Storm Hunter Chinese Taipei Hsieh Su-wei
Czech Republic Barbora Strýcová
5–7, 4–6

Year-end championships finals

Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 2021 WTA Finals, Guadalajara Hard Chinese Taipei Hsieh Su-wei Czech Republic Barbora Krejčíková
Czech Republic Kateřina Siniaková
3–6, 4–6
Win 2022 WTA Finals, Fort Worth Hard (i) Russia Veronika Kudermetova Czech Republic Barbora Krejčíková
Czech Republic Kateřina Siniaková
6–2, 4–6, [11–9]

References

  1. "Who is Belgian Elise Mertens, the two-time Grand Slam doubles winner?". Tennis Majors. 4 April 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  2. "Elise Mertens ascends to WTA Doubles World No.1". Women's Tennis Association. 10 May 2021. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Magical Mertens stuns Svitolina to make Aussie Open semis". Women's Tennis Association. 23 January 2018. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 "'I was really playing aggressive' – Mertens halts Ahn's dream run to reach first US Open quarterfinal". Women's Tennis Association. 2 September 2019. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "Elise Mertens Bio | Bio & Career – WTA Official". Women's Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  6. Bergman, Justin (23 January 2018). "Unseeded Belgian Mertens reaches Australian Open semis". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  7. "Kim Clijsters Academy Closing July 1st". 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  8. "About". Elise Mertens. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  9. "Mertens pulls off historic title defense in Hobart". WTA. 13 January 2018. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  10. David Packman (21 January 2018). "Mertens' dream AO debut rolls on". Australian Open. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  11. Piers Newbery (23 January 2018). "Elise Mertens shocks Elina Svitolina to reach semi-finals". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  12. "Wozniacki serves up first Australian Open final". 25 January 2018. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  13. "Cibulkova charges into SW19 second week with Mertens win". 7 July 2018. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  14. "Bertens bests Mertens in Brisbane first-round barnburner". WTA Tennis. 31 December 2018. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  15. "Brilliant Barty charges into Sydney semifinals, moves past Mertens". WTA Tennis. 10 January 2019. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  16. "Keys motors to Mertens win in Melbourne third round". WTA Tennis. 19 January 2019. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  17. "US OPEN 2020 - Elise Mertens breezes past second seed Sofia Kenin to reach last eight". Eurosport. 8 September 2020. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  18. "Mertens bests Kanepi for Gippsland Trophy title". www.wtatennis.com. 7 February 2021. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  19. CHOWDHURY, PRIYABRATA (13 February 2021). "Belinda Bencic Yet Again Encounters Embarrassing Defeat at Australian Open 2021". www.essentiallysports.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  20. "Australian Open 2021: Czech Muchova knocks out Mertens to set up Barty clash". www.hindustantimes.com. 15 February 2021. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  21. "Mertens, Sabalenka win Australian Open doubles title; claim second major as a team". www.wtatennis.com. 19 February 2021. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  22. "Muguruza beats Mertens in Dubai to reach 3rd final of 2021". www.espn.com. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  23. "Osaka makes first Miami quarterfinal; Sakkari saves 6 match points to beat Pegula". www.wtatennis.com. 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  24. Hartsell, Jeff (7 April 2021). "Charleston's Shelby Rogers survives drama-filled match at Volvo Car Open". www.postandcourier.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  25. "Cirstea storms to first title in 13 years in Istanbul". www.wtatennis.com. 25 April 2021. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  26. da Silva, Bruno (25 April 2021). "Cirstea beats Mertens in Istanbul to win first WTA-level title in 13 years". www.vavel.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  27. Berkok, John (4 May 2021). "ELISE MERTENS CLAWS BACK TO OUTLAST SIMONA HALEP AT MUTUA MADRID OPEN". www.tennis.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  28. "Sabalenka moves on after Mertens retires; Pavlyuchenkova awaits in Madrid semis". www.wtatennis.com. 5 May 2021. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  29. "Elise Mertens Rises to Doubles World No. 1". www.tennisnow.com. 10 May 2021. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  30. "Barty rolls on, Tomljanovic through in WTA". 7news.com.au. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  31. Kokkinidis, Tasos (5 June 2021). "Maria Sakkari Powers Through to the French Open Last 16". greekreporter.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  32. "French Open 2021: Iga Swiatek, Bethanie Mattek-Sands Save Seven Match Points to Beat 1st Seeds". www.news18.com. 6 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  33. "Viking Classic Birmingham 2021: Tomljanović stuns top seed Mertens". www.lta.org.uk. 15 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  34. Wancke, Barbara (20 June 2021). "Jabeur and Kasatkina line up for Birmingham final". tennisthreads.net. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  35. ASHTAKOULA, SAGAR (22 June 2021). "FANTASTIC! Coco Gauff Fights Back Against Elise Mertens After Getting Bageled at WTA Eastbourne 2021". www.essentiallysports.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  36. Kane, David (2 July 2021). "MADISON KEYS WAVES FLAG AT WIMBLEDON DESPITE AMERICAN DEFEATS". www.tennis.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  37. "Wimbledon 2021: Su-wei and Mertens win women's doubles title, as Mektic and Pavic claim men's crown". www.bbc.com. 10 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  38. "Hsieh, Mertens save match points, win Wimbledon in doubles thriller". www.wtatennis.com. 10 July 2021. Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  39. "Mertens back to doubles No.1, Muguruza returns to Top 10 following Wimbledon". www.wtatennis.com. 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  40. Wancke, Barbara (25 July 2021). "Svitolina and Kvitova move into R2 as Osaka speaks up". tennisthreads.net. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  41. Drucker, Joel (8 August 2021). "THE RENAISSANCE OF TACTICALLY ECLECTIC DARIA KASATKINA CONTINUES TO BE A PLEASING 2021 NARRATIVE". www.tennis.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  42. "Johanna Konta makes it two wins in a row in Montreal but fellow Brit Harriet Dart bows out". www.skysports.com. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  43. "Naomi Osaka beats Coco Gauff in Western & Southern Open". sportsnaut.com. 19 August 2021. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  44. Fernandez, Megan (3 September 2021). "Mertens outlasts a late surge by Jabeur in Round 3 win". www.usopen.org. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  45. "Sabalenka defeats Mertens in straight sets in U.S. Open fourth round". www.hindustantimes.com. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  46. "Coco Gauff, Caty McNally beat top-seeded Elise Mertens, Su-wei Hsieh to reach US Open women's doubles semifinals". www.espn.com. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  47. Wancke, Barbara (18 September 2021). "Bencic and Mertens toppled in Luxembourg". tennisthreads.net. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  48. Outlaw, Adrianna (30 September 2021). "Collins, Rybakina Into Chicago Quarterfinals". www.tennisnow.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  49. "Iga Swiatek cruises to second-round win at Indian Wells". sportsnaut.com. 9 October 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  50. "Hsieh and Mertens prevail to win Indian Wells doubles title". WTA Tour. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  51. "Elise Mertens announces David Goffin's brother as her new coach". 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  52. "Désormais coachée par Simon Goffin, le frère de David, Elise Mertens rigole : "Je vais devoir parler français plus souvent'". rtbf. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  53. "WTA roundup: Garbiñe Muguruza reaches Sydney quarters". sportsnaut.com. 12 January 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  54. KILPATRICK, JAMES (23 January 2022). "DANIELLE COLLINS COMES FROM BEHIND TO BEAT ELISE MERTENS AND REACH THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN QUARTER-FINALS". www.eurosport.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  55. "Krejcikova, Siniakova to face Danilina, Haddad Maia in Australian Open doubles final". www.wtatennis.com. 27 January 2022. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  56. "Maria Sakkari beats Elise Mertens to reach the semifinals at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy". www.ubitennis.net. 11 February 2022. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  57. Pagliaro, Richard (15 February 2022). "Qualifier Ruse Upsets Badosa in Dubai Opener". www.tennisnow.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  58. "Ostapenko storms to victory in Dubai for 5th career title". www.wtatennis.com. 19 February 2022. Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  59. "Kvitova and Azarenka injured in WTA Qatar Open, as top seeds progress in Doha". www.sportsmax.tv. 22 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  60. "Kontaveit edges former champ Mertens; Sakkari, Swiatek sail into Doha QF". www.wtatennis.com. 23 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  61. "Gauff, Pegula charge to doubles title in Doha". www.wtatennis.com. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  62. Mayne, Joshua (14 March 2022). "Daria Saville continues stunning Indian Wells run". www.sportingnews.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  63. Sias, Van (12 March 2022). "DOUBLES TAKE: TOUGH ROAD AHEAD FOR TOP TEAMS IN INDIAN WELLS". www.tennis.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  64. "Czech Teen Linda Fruhvirtova Upsets Elise Mertens at Miami Open". www.news18.com. 26 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  65. "Siegemund, Zvonareva capture Miami doubles title". www.wtatennis.com. 3 April 2022. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  66. "Mertens retires from match in Istanbul due to leg injury". www.thescore.com. 20 April 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  67. "Kerber reaches first clay semi-final since 2016 as Pliskova marches on in Strasbourg". uk.sports.yahoo.com. 19 May 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  68. "Elise Mertens also eliminated in doubles in Strasbourg". www.proximus.be. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  69. "Coco Gauff's run at French Open continues into quarterfinals with win over Elise Mertens". www.espn.com. 29 May 2022. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  70. "Kudermetova and Mertens dropped out with "Roland Garros" in doubles". lostsports.com. 30 May 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  71. "VAN UYTVANCK SURPRISES COMPATRIOT MERTENS; KUDERMETOVA ALSO THROUGH". libema-open.nl. 9 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  72. "Birmingham Classic: Katie Boulter beats Alison Riske for first win over top-40 player". www.bbc.com. 14 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  73. "Haddad Maia's win streak hits 10 as Zhang retires in Birmingham final". www.wtatennis.com. 19 June 2022. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  74. JOHNSON, ABBEY (22 June 2022). "Rothesay International: Paula Badosa, Maria Sakkari, Karolina Pliskova stunned in 2R". www.tennisworldusa.org. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  75. "Maria upsets Sakkari; Mertens ousts Kerber in Wimbledon third round". www.wtatennis.com. 1 July 2022. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  76. HEMINGWAY, ROB (4 July 2022). "ONS JABEUR MAKES IT THROUGH TO THE WIMBLEDON QUARTER-FINALS WITH HARD-FOUGHT VICTORY OVER ELISE MERTENS". www.eurosport.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  77. Tandon, Kamakshi (9 July 2022). "ELISE MERTENS ANNOUNCES SPLIT WITH COACH SIMON GOFFIN". www.tennis.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  78. "No.1 and No.2-seeded teams set Wimbledon doubles final showdown". Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  79. "Krejcikova and Siniakova roll to second Wimbledon doubles title". www.wtatennis.com. 10 July 2022. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  80. "Elise Mertens explique son forfait à l'US Open: "Ma jambe droite me pose problème depuis une semaine et demie"" (in French). Le Soir. 3 September 2022. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  81. "Mertens sweeps to seventh career title in Monastir". WTA Tennis. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  82. "Pegula qualifies for WTA Finals, two doubles teams secure their places". Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  83. "Road to the WTA Finals: Mertens and Kudermetova". Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  84. "Kudermetova, Mertens win group to help Kichenok, Ostapenko advance". Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  85. "Krejcikova, Siniakova will face Kudermetova, Mertens for the WTA Finals title". Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  86. "Kudermetova and Mertens claim WTA Finals doubles championship". Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  87. "Hunter, Mertens defeat Gauff, Pegula to win Rome doubles title". Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  88. "Rankings Watch: Rybakina hits Top 5 for first time; Zheng makes Top 20 debut". Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  89. "Champions Corner: Hunter and Mertens discover their chemistry in Rome". Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  90. "Hunter advances to Guadalajara final". Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  91. "Sakkari prevails in Guadalajara, wins second career title". Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  92. "WTA roundup: Madison Keys loses Guadalajara opener | Reuters". Reuters. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  93. https://twitter.com/HobartTennis/status/1745701172953113044
  94. "Navarro outlasts Mertens in Hobart to win first WTA title".
  95. "Elise Mertens". Head. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.