The Chinese No. 1 looks to book her place in the Charleston final eight.
Mar 24, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Zheng Qinwen (CHN) reacts after winning a point against Ashlyn Krueger (USA)(not pictured) on day seven of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
Reigning Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen will face an uphill battle in her Charleston Open Round of 16, when she faces 13th seed Elise Mertens on Thursday. The Chinese No. 1 already beat a tough opponent in Round-2 in former World No. 3 Maria Sakkari. Can she keep her form going, or will the formidable Mertens turn the tables on her?
Elise Mertens has been among the top players on the WTA circuit for a plethora of years now. Having turned pro in 2013, Mertens went on to become the doubles World No. 1 and win a combined 30 titles from both disciplines. Due to her ranking drop, the Belgian comes up against top seeds very early on – she lost to Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek at Indian Wells and Miami. Nonetheless, her 6-3 7-5 win over Gracheva will give her some assurance heading into the Round of 16.
Zheng Qinwen is the third seed at the American event this week. A former Australian Open and WTA Finals runner-up, Zheng knows a thing or two about justifying her ranking. Facing a lot of criticism that her game isn’t suited for clay, she managed to win the coveted Olympic gold medal on the red dirt in 2024. She will go all guns blazing upon entering the Althea Gibson Club Court.
Zheng Qinwen vs Elise Mertens Head to Head Record
The head to head record between Zheng Qinwen and Elise Mertens stands at 0-0. They are yet to face each other on the professional circuit, and the Charleston Round of 16 will be their first meeting.
While Qinwen has won five career singles titles, Mertens has nine singles and 21 doubles trophies to her name. Both players have achieved their best Grand Slam performance at the Australian Open, and are awaiting their first major in singles. However, the 29-year-old Belgian is a four-time Grand Slam winner in doubles (alongside Aryna Sabalenka and Hsieh Su-wei).
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Zhng qinen vs elise merens titles comparison
| Zheng Qinwen | Category | Elise mertens |
| 0 | Grand Slams | 0 |
| 5 | WTA Singles Titles | 9 |
| 0 | WTA Doubles Titles | 21 |
| 0 | WTA-1000 Titles | 0 |
| Gold (Paris 2024) | Best Olympics Performance | R1 (Tokyo 2020) |
| No. 8 | Current World Ranking | No. 28 |
Zheng Qinwen vs Elise Mertens Charleston Open 2025 Prediction
It doesn’t take an expert to know that both players have an incredible serve and forehand. But Zheng has been displaying better movement on court, and comes into the tournament with the better form out of the two. Unless there are some major glitches, the 22-year-old Chinese should prevail.
Prediction: Zheng Qinwen in straight sets.
Zheng Qinwen vs Elise Mertens Charleston Open 2025 Betting Odds
Zheng Qinwen Win: 4/11
Elise Mertens Win: 9/4