Qinwen Zheng vs Elise Mertens Prediction 10/10/2026 Today’s Tennis Picks

Qinwen Zheng will face Elise Mertens in the China Open semifinals in Beijing. The match is scheduled for Saturday, October 10. Here’s our Qinwen Zheng vs Elise Mertens prediction. This preview will include a Qinwen Zheng vs Elise Mertens pick.

Qinwen Zheng vs Elise Mertens Preview

Qinwen Zheng stunned Elina Svitolina to reach the China Open semifinals for the second time. Zheng had won each of her first four matches in the tournament in three sets, but delivered a near-perfect performance to beat Svitolina in straight sets. She broke Svitolina’s serve three times in the opening set, which she clinched in 45 minutes. 

Both players exchanged breaks in the second set, and in a tense tiebreak, Zheng held her nerve and sealed the victory on her second match point. Zheng hit 6 aces and committed 4 double faults in the victory. Zheng landed 58% of first serves and won 75% of first serve points (27/36). She broke Svitolina’s serve seven times in the match. Zheng’s previous semifinal run in Beijing came two years ago, when she lost to Karolina Muchova.

Elise Mertens reached her first WTA 1000 singles semifinal in five years thanks to a massive win over eighth seed Iga Swiatek. Mertens’ spot in the quarterfinals was already a huge surprise, having beaten Jelena Ostapenko and Coco Gauff in back-to-back matches. And the Belgian delivered the biggest shock on Friday when she outplayed Swiatek to win 7-6, 6-3 in under two hours. Mertens hit 5 aces and committed 1 double fault in the victory. She landed 60% of first serves in play and won 87% of first serve points (33/38). She never faced a break point in the match.

Qinwen Zheng vs Elise Mertens Head-To-Head

Zheng and Mertens have met once at the WTA level. The Chinese star won their only meeting at the 2025 Charleston Open in three sets.

Qinwen Zheng vs Elise Mertens Prediction

I’m leaning Zheng to nick this, but in the form Mertens is in, it’s increasingly difficult to overlook the Belgian. I still think Zheng has rediscovered her best tennis. She’s playing Top 10 level tennis right now after a very productive stretch in the second half of the season. I also trust Zheng’s serve and forehand a little more here, and that should prevent Mertens from turning this into a baseline duel. And home advantage is with Zheng who is looking to reach her first final in Beijing.

Nur Said's Pick: Zheng in three sets