India, Oct. 7 -- Coco Gauff will face Elise Mertens in the Round of 16 at the WTA China Open 2026 on Wednesday, October 7. Gauff enters the clash with a perfect 5-0 singles record against Mertens, while the Belgian No. 13 seed reached the fourth round after defeating Jelena Ostapenko.

Gauff kicked off her China Open campaign with a bye before defeating 16-year-old Chinese wildcard Sun Xinran 7-5, 6-1 in the Round of 32. The American needed one hour and 41 minutes to get past the teenager.

The match also became controversial because of an incident involving the electronic advertising boards. With Gauff serving at 4-5 in the opening set, the LED boards behind Sun flickered during a rally. Gauff stopped the point and appealed to the chair ...