United Cup Prediction: Elise Mertens vs Zhu Lin
12:00 AM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Elise Mertens -285 / Zhu Lin +220
Tournament Details
Tournament name: United Cup
Host cities: Perth, Sydney
Date: 2 – 11 January 2026
Field: 18 countries
Total prize money: $11,806,190
Elise Mertens vs Zhu Lin Preview
Elise Mertens is ranked 20th in the WTA rankings as she opens up her 11th season on the pro tour. Mertens compiled 36 wins and 21 losses in 2025, which translated to a 63.2% win rate – her highest since 2020. The 30-year-old lifted two WTA titles, ending her two-year drought in singles. She was a champion in Singapore and Den Bosch. In her third final, she was a runner-up in Hobart right at the start of the season.
Instead of going to Australia for a WTA event, Mertens has been selected to represent Belgium in the United Cup. It will be her second appearance in the mixed-teams event. In 2023, she beat Bulgaria’s Gergana Topalova but lost to Maria Sakkari.
Zhu Lin is ranked 168th in the WTA rankings. She rose over 300 spots in the rankings to finish the year inside the top 200. The 31-year-old Chinese compiled 21 wins and 17 losses. Her best results were on the ITF level, where she was a runner-up in Goyang and Guiyang.
Zhu managed a quarterfinal finish in Ningbo at the end of the season. Zhu missed three months of tennis after competing in Singapore last January because of injury, and it was a key reason for her ranking slide. She has never played in the United Cup before.
Elise Mertens vs Zhu Lin Head-To-Head
Mertens and Zhu Lin have met four times. Mertens leads the head-to-head 3-1, although their last meeting was at 2021 Wimbledon.
Elise Mertens vs Zhu Lin Prediction
Neither player ended the 2025 season strongly and matchup-wise, this sets up tighter despite the ranking gap and head-to-head record. Both players are flat hitters who are always willing to step inside the baseline. Mertens does have a phenomenal record in first-round matches, but she doesn’t quite have a track record of overwhelming opponents. So this is unlikely to be as one-sided as the odds suggest.