Swiatek and Svitolina Reach China Open Semifinals

Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 China Open in Beijing, with Swiatek overcoming Elise Mertens and Svitolina defeating Zheng Qinwen as the women's tournament moved closer to its final. The results followed a fourth-round upset in which Mertens eliminated Coco Gauff, the world No. 4, and secured her first victory over the American after five consecutive defeats.

According to Last Word on Sports, Swiatek entered the semifinal stage seeking a second China Open title after winning the tournament in 2023. The six-time Grand Slam champion maintained her strong record against Mertens, extending her head-to-head advantage to 3-0 without dropping a set.

Mertens had reached the quarterfinals after defeating Gauff 6-3, 6-3 in 78 minutes. Match statistics showed that the Belgian won 65 points to Gauff's 49, committed 11 unforced errors compared with 34 by the American, and faced only one break point during their fourth-round encounter, according to the match coverage published by Yahoo Sports on October 7, 2026.

Gauff's serving difficulties also contributed to the result. She recorded eight double faults and won 61% of points behind her first serve, while Mertens won 80% of points on her first serve. Gauff nevertheless produced 17 winners, four more than Mertens, but her error count proved costly.

Mertens praised her opponent during her on-court interview following the victory.

"I mean, she's an incredible player, of course, I knew it was going to be a very tough match, but you know, I had a motivation, because my coach/boyfriend, it's his birthday tomorrow, so for me, this win is dedicated to him and all the work we do," Mertens said.

The Belgian also credited the Beijing crowd and described her achievement as a significant milestone at a tournament where she had never previously reached the quarterfinals.

"First of all, thanks, everyone, for coming. It's an amazing atmosphere; it's great to be back in Beijing, and, of course, I'm very happy with the win today. The atmosphere is amazing; a lot of people coming to watch is always a nice feeling, and good energy to be here," Mertens said.

Before the match, Mertens had been uncertain about her prospects because of her previous results in Beijing and her losing record against Gauff.

"Of course, the expectation, for myself, I didn't really know what to expect. I know she won this tournament in the past; I've never been to the quarter-finals here, but I love Beijing," Mertens said.

Gauff's China Open history included a championship in 2024 and semifinal appearances in 2023 and 2025. Her 2026 campaign ended in the fourth round, while Mertens earned a place among the tournament's final eight.

Former professional player Johanna Konta discussed Gauff's performance during Sky Sports' post-match coverage. Konta said the match statistics did not fully capture the physical difficulties Gauff experienced during the contest.

"No, not at all. And unfortunately, the stats will never show how it looked physically for Gauff. That is slightly shown in the unforced error count – the 34 unforced errors there – but, funnily enough, the 17 winners that still came off her racket just show how freely she was swinging in parts of that match," Konta said.

Konta added that Gauff's performance fell short of the level she usually demonstrates on court.

"But again, the story has just got to be that unfortunately Coco Gauff just wasn't able to show up in her entirety as we're used to seeing," Konta said.

Swiatek had secured her quarterfinal place by defeating Iva Jovic in straight sets. The tournament coverage published on October 7 listed her victory as 6-1, 6-3, while Last Word on Sports reported the score as 6-1, 6-4. Both accounts described a dominant opening phase for Swiatek.

Swiatek had also recovered from a set and a double break down against Donna Vekic in an earlier round, demonstrating her ability to respond under pressure. Her previous meetings with Mertens had ended in straight-set victories, giving the Polish player a statistical advantage heading into their next encounter.

Mertens, meanwhile, entered the latter stages with renewed confidence after her breakthrough victory against Gauff. Her flat groundstrokes and ability to take time away from opponents offered a potential challenge to Swiatek's heavy topspin and deep baseline play, according to Last Word on Sports' match preview.

The other semifinal featured Svitolina against Zheng, who had advanced through a demanding run of three-set matches. Zheng, the 2024 Olympic champion, recovered from a set loss to beat Alina Charaeva 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 and continued to compete in front of the home crowd in Beijing.

Svitolina reached the semifinals after defeating Ann Li in 91 minutes, saving 10 of 12 break points. The world No. 7 had not previously faced Zheng, leaving the matchup without a head-to-head record, according to Last Word on Sports.

Gauff was scheduled to turn her attention to the Wuhan Open, which was set to begin Tuesday, October 13, 2026. She had won the Wuhan tournament the previous year by defeating Jessica Pegula in the final.