A Shock Defeat That Changes the Standings
Coco Gauff's China Open campaign came to a jarring halt in the round of sixteen, as Belgian veteran Elise Mertens produced one of the upsets of the WTA season. Mertens, ranked 13th in the draw, had never beaten Gauff in five previous attempts, but she put that record firmly to bed with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 victory. The American, a semifinalist in Beijing the previous year, struggled from the opening game and never found the level that has made her one of the tour's most consistent performers in 2026.
The timing could hardly be worse for Gauff from a rankings perspective. She entered the tournament already defending a heavy points load, having reached the Beijing semifinal in 2025 and won the Wuhan Open that same swing. Those combined 1,390 points dropped off her tally at the start of the event, pulling her live ranking points down sharply. She leaves with just 120 points added for her round of sixteen run, bringing her to 5,974 points. Her only title this year came at the Cincinnati Open in August, though she also reached the finals in Miami and Rome.
Andreeva Closing Fast, Svitolina Out of the Race
The beneficiary of Gauff's stumble is Mirra Andreeva, who reached the China Open quarterfinals and sits at 5,936 live ranking points. That gap of fewer than 40 points means one more win in Beijing could be enough for Andreeva to leapfrog Gauff into fourth place on the WTA rankings. Further down the standings, Elina Svitolina's points total keeps her too far back to threaten Gauff's position regardless of how the tournament concludes.
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek progressed with a polished win over Iva Jovic and awaits Mertens in the quarterfinals. TennisDraw users will want to update their bracket picks quickly as the Beijing draw continues to produce fireworks.
