Coco Gauff is scheduled to play Elise Mertens in the Round of 16 at the WTA China Open 2026 on Wednesday, October 7, according to the article. The match will take place at the China National Tennis Center in Beijing and is expected to start around 12:30 PM IST, pending the length of the preceding Diamond Court contest.
Gauff entered the tournament with a bye and then defeated 16‑year‑old Chinese wildcard Sun Xinran 7‑5, 6‑1 in the Round of 32, a contest that lasted one hour and 41 minutes. During that match, the LED advertising boards behind Sun flickered while Gauff was serving at 4‑5 in the opening set. Gauff stopped the point, appealed to the chair umpire, and the officials ruled the flicker a hindrance, prompting a replay of the point. Gauff won the replayed point, held serve, and took the set 7‑5 before closing the match with a 6‑1 second set. After the match, Gauff spoke about receiving racist abuse online related to the incident, stating that she was following the rules and was not responsible for the umpire’s decision, while also praising Sun’s performance.
Mertens, the No. 13 seed, reached the same stage after a two‑match journey in Beijing. She first overcame Katie Volynets 6‑0, 4‑6, 7‑5 and then staged a comeback against No. 24 seed Jelena Ostapenko. Mertens fell 2‑0 behind in the deciding set before winning six of the final seven games to clinch a 6‑2, 3‑6, 6‑3 victory, marking her first career win over Ostapenko.
The head‑to‑head record between the two players heavily favors Gauff, who leads Mertens 5‑0 in their career singles encounters, having won all previous meetings. Gauff will look to maintain that unbeaten streak in Beijing.
Broadcast details vary by region. In India, the match will be available on Tennis Channel and WTA TV. In the United States, viewers can watch via Tennis Channel and its streaming service. In the United Kingdom and Belgium, Eurosport and its associated platforms will carry the match. Canadian audiences have multiple options, including DAZN, Sportsnet, TSN, TVA Sports, and WTA TV.