Elise Mertens beats Iga Swiatek to reach China Open semifinal

Elise Mertens, of Belgium, celebrates after defeating Swiatek, of Poland, in the quarterfinals of the women's singles match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026.(AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

BEIJING — Elise Mertens beat Iga Swiatek 7-6 (0), 6-3 on Friday to book her place in the semifinals of the China Open.

Mertens’ run has now seen her beat three Grand Slam winners in Beijing, following victories against Jelena Ostapenko and Coco Gauff.

She took 1 hour and 50 minutes to see off six-time Grand Slam winner and No.8 seed Swiatek in straight sets.

“Sometimes you just grow into a tournament,” said Mertens, who is through to her first WTA 1000 singles semifinal since 2021.

Mertens next faces Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen after she put out No.6 seed Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (8).

Zheng was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Open as a qualifier.

“It was a really great win for me,” she said. “I think she also played her best tennis.”