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Elise Mertens
Elise Mertens (2024 DC Open) 06 (cropped).jpg
Mertens at the 2024 Washington Open
Country (sports)  Belgium
Residence Hamont-Achel, Belgium
Born (1995-11-17) 17 November 1995 (age 30)
Leuven, Belgium
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Turned pro 2013
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach Christopher Heyman
Prize money US$ 18,107,463
  • 34th in all-time rankings
Singles
Career record 478–282 (62.89%)
Career titles 10
Highest ranking No. 12 (26 November 2018)
Current ranking No. 20 (3 November 2025)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open SF (2018)
French Open 4R (2018, 2022, 2023)
Wimbledon 4R (2019, 2022, 2025)
US Open QF (2019, 2020)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games 1R (2020)
Doubles
Career record 408–171 (70.47%)
Career titles 24
Highest ranking No. 1 (10 May 2021)
Current ranking No. 1 (2 February 2026)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open W (2021, 2024, 2026)
French Open SF (2019)
Wimbledon W (2021, 2025)
US Open W (2019)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals W (2022, 2025)
Olympic Games 1R (2020)
Team competitions
Fed Cup QF (2018, 2019), record 13–7
Hopman Cup RR (2018)

Elise Mertens (born 17 November 1995) is a professional tennis player from Belgium. She became the world No. 1 in women's doubles on 10 May 2021. She was the third Belgian player to reach a top ranking in singles or doubles. Elise has won many titles on the WTA Tour, including 10 singles titles.

Elise is a six-time champion in major doubles tournaments. She won the US Open in 2019 and the Australian Open in 2021 with Aryna Sabalenka. She also won Wimbledon in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2024 with Hsieh Su-wei. In 2025, she won the Wimbledon Championships with Veronika Kudermetova. Most recently, she won the Australian Open in 2026 with Zhang Shuai.

She was also a finalist at Wimbledon in 2022 with Zhang Shuai. She reached the final again in 2023 with Storm Hunter. Overall, Elise has won 23 doubles titles. This includes the WTA Finals in 2022 and 2025 with Veronika Kudermetova.

Elise is also a strong singles player. She reached the semifinals at the Australian Open in 2018. She also made it to the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2019 and 2020. Her highest singles ranking was world No. 12 in November 2018. She has played for Belgium in the Billie Jean King Cup since 2017. She also competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in both singles and doubles.

About Elise Mertens

Elise Mertens was born in Leuven, Belgium. Her mother, Liliane, was a teacher, and her father, Guido, made furniture. Elise was taught at home and loved learning languages. She speaks French, English, and Flemish Dutch.

Her older sister, Lauren, is an airline pilot. Lauren introduced Elise to tennis when Elise was just four years old. Growing up, Elise admired famous Belgian tennis players Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters. She even trained at the Kim Clijsters Academy for several years.

Elise's Tennis Journey

Starting Out in 2015-2016

Mertens E. WM16 (2) (28418936025)
Elise Mertens at the 2016 Wimbledon Qualifying event.

Elise first played in a big WTA Tour event in 2015. This was in the doubles competition at the 2015 Copa Colsanitas. She played with Nastja Kolar. In 2016, she won her very first doubles title at the Auckland Open. Her partner was An-Sophie Mestach.

2017: First Singles Title and Top 40 Ranking

In January 2017, Elise won her first singles title at the Hobart International. She beat Monica Niculescu in the final match. This win helped her enter the top 100 players in the world for the first time. Her ranking reached world No. 69.

2018: Big Wins and Grand Slam Semifinal

Mertens RG18 (14) (42077293665)
Elise Mertens at the 2018 French Open.

Elise started 2018 by winning the Hobart International again. She was the first woman to win this tournament two years in a row. She also won the doubles title there with Demi Schuurs.

At the Australian Open, Elise reached her first Grand Slam semifinal. She beat several strong players, including Elina Svitolina. This made her only the third Belgian woman to reach the semifinals at this tournament. She then lost to Caroline Wozniacki.

After the Australian Open, Elise won two more singles titles. She won the Lugano Open and the Morocco Open. She also reached the fourth round at the French Open.

2019: Doubles Success and US Open Title

Mertens WM19 (27) (48521957857)
Elise Mertens at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.

In 2019, Elise won her first big singles title at the Qatar Ladies Open. She defeated top players like Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep.

She had amazing success in doubles with her partner Aryna Sabalenka. They won the doubles titles at Indian Wells and the Miami Open. This rare achievement is called the "Sunshine Double." These wins helped Elise enter the top 10 in doubles rankings.

Later that year, Elise and Aryna won their first Grand Slam doubles title. They triumphed at the US Open. Elise also reached the singles quarterfinals at the US Open. She finished the year ranked No. 17 in singles and No. 6 in doubles.

2020: US Open Quarterfinals Again

Elise continued her strong performance in 2020. She reached the fourth round of the Australian Open. She also made it to the final of the Prague Open.

At the US Open, Elise reached the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. She beat Sofia Kenin before losing to Victoria Azarenka. She and Aryna Sabalenka also won the doubles title at the Ostrava Open.

2021: World No. 1 in Doubles and Two Major Titles

Elise started 2021 by winning her sixth singles title at the Gippsland Trophy. At the Australian Open, she and Aryna Sabalenka won their second Grand Slam doubles title.

In May 2021, Elise reached a huge milestone. She became the world No. 1 in doubles for the first time. She was the second Belgian player to achieve this.

Later that year, Elise won her third Grand Slam doubles title at Wimbledon. She partnered with Hsieh Su-wei. They won a very close final match. This win helped her regain the world No. 1 doubles ranking. Elise also played for Belgium at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

2022: WTA Finals Champion and Wimbledon Finalist

Mertens RG22 (25) (52144074831)
Elise Mertens at the 2022 French Open.

In 2022, Elise continued to shine in doubles. She won her 15th doubles title at the Dubai Championships with Veronika Kudermetova. She also reached the doubles final at Miami and Wimbledon.

At Wimbledon, she and Zhang Shuai reached the final for a second consecutive time. Elise regained her world No. 1 doubles ranking in June 2022.

Later in the year, Elise won her seventh singles title at the Jasmin Open in Tunisia. She then qualified for the WTA Finals in doubles with Veronika Kudermetova. They won the title, making Elise the first Belgian to win the WTA Finals in doubles.

2023: More Doubles Titles and World No. 1 Again

Elise Mertens (2023 DC Open) 01 (cropped) 2
Elise Mertens at the 2023 DC Open.

Elise had another strong year in 2023. She reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with her new partner, Storm Hunter.

In singles, she returned to the top 30 after reaching the fourth round at the 2023 Miami Open. She also made it to the fourth round of the French Open.

In doubles, Elise and Storm Hunter won their fifth WTA 1000 title at the Italian Open. Elise returned to the top 10 in doubles rankings. She became world No. 1 in doubles again on 25 September 2023. This was after reaching the semifinals of the Guadalajara Open. They then won the title at Guadalajara.

Elise also successfully defended her singles title at the Jasmin Open. She finished 2023 ranked No. 2 in doubles.

2024: Australian Open Champion and More Doubles Success

Elise started 2024 by reaching her third singles final at the Hobart International. She then won her fourth major doubles title at the Australian Open. She partnered with Hsieh Su-wei again, and they defeated a strong team in the final. This victory helped Elise regain her No. 1 ranking in doubles.

With Hsieh, Elise also won the Indian Wells Open and the Birmingham Classic. They reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. Elise and Hsieh qualified for the WTA Finals.

2025: Two Singles Titles and Fifth Major Doubles Title

Mertens Rosmalen
Elise Mertens at the 2025 Rosmalen Open.

In 2025, Elise reached the final of the Hobart International for the second year in a row. She then won her ninth WTA singles title at the Singapore Open.

Partnering with Veronika Kudermetova, she reached the doubles finals at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open.

Elise won her tenth singles title at the Rosmalen Open. She saved an amazing eleven match points on her way to winning the title. This equaled a record for match points saved in a tour-level match this century.

At Wimbledon, partnering with Kudermetova, Mertens claimed her fifth major women's doubles title. They defeated Hsieh and Ostapenko in the final.

In November, Mertens teamed with Kudermetova to win the doubles title at the season-ending WTA Finals.

2026: Third Australian Open Title and Back to World No. 1 in Doubles

At the Australian Open, Elise teamed up with Zhang Shuai. They reached the final and won the title. This victory helped Elise return to the world No. 1 ranking in women's doubles.

Elise's Playing Style

Elise Mertens 20220919a9 (cropped)
Elise Mertens hitting a forehand.

Elise Mertens is a baseline player. This means she plays mostly from the back of the court. Her game combines strong defense with powerful shots. She hits her shots flat, sending them deep into the court.

Her backhand is especially strong and helps her win many points. Elise is also great at returning serves. She can hit many return winners and handle powerful first serves.

Elise has a strong first serve, which can reach speeds of 119 mph (192 km/h). Her second serve is also effective, with a lot of spin. Because of her doubles experience, Elise is good at playing near the net.

She is very fit, fast, and covers the court well. This allows her to defend strongly and keep points going. She can turn defense into offense very effectively. Elise is known for her mental toughness and consistency. Her favorite surface to play on is grass, but she has had most of her success on hard courts.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Performance Timelines

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles

Tournament 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 SR W–L Win%
Australian Open A Q2 A SF 3R 4R 4R 4R 3R 2R 2R 4R 0 / 9 23–9 72%
French Open A Q3 3R 4R 3R 3R 3R 4R 4R 3R 1R 0 / 9 19–9 68%
Wimbledon Q3 Q2 1R 3R 4R NH 3R 4R 2R 2R 4R 0 / 8 15–8 65%
US Open Q1 1R 1R 4R QF QF 4R 1R 3R 4R 3R 0 / 10 21–10 68%
Win–loss 0–0 0–1 2–3 13–4 11–4 9–3 10–4 9–4 8–4 7–4 6–4 3–1 0 / 36 78–36 68%

Doubles

Tournament 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 SR W–L Win%
Australian Open A A 2R 1R 3R QF W SF QF W 2R W 3 / 10 31–7 82%
French Open A A 1R 1R SF 2R 3R 3R 3R 2R QF 0 / 9 15–9 63%
Wimbledon A 2R 3R 3R QF NH W F F SF W 2 / 9 33–7 83%
US Open A A 2R QF W QF QF 2R 1R 1R SF 1 / 9 21–8 72%
Win–loss 0–0 1–1 4–4 5–4 15–3 6–3 16–2 12–4 10–4 11–3 14–3 6–0 6 / 37 100–31 76%

Grand Slam Tournaments Finals

Doubles: 8 (6 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 2019 US Open Hard Belarus Aryna Sabalenka Belarus Victoria Azarenka
Australia Ashleigh Barty
7–5, 7–5
Win 2021 Australian Open Hard Belarus Aryna Sabalenka Czech Republic Barbora Krejčíková
Czech Republic Kateřina Siniaková
6–2, 6–3
Win 2021 Wimbledon Grass Chinese Taipei Hsieh Su-wei Russia Veronika Kudermetova
Russia Elena Vesnina
3–6, 7–5, 9–7
Loss 2022 Wimbledon Grass China Zhang Shuai Czech Republic Barbora Krejčíková
Czech Republic Kateřina Siniaková
2–6, 4–6
Loss 2023 Wimbledon Grass Australia Storm Hunter Chinese Taipei Hsieh Su-wei
Czech Republic Barbora Strýcová
5–7, 4–6
Win 2024 Australian Open (2) Hard Chinese Taipei Hsieh Su-wei Ukraine Lyudmyla Kichenok
Latvia Jeļena Ostapenko
6–1, 7–5
Win 2025 Wimbledon (2) Grass Veronika Kudermetova Chinese Taipei Hsieh Su-wei
Latvia Jeļena Ostapenko
3–6, 6–2, 6–4
Win 2026 Australian Open (3) Hard China Zhang Shuai Kazakhstan Anna Danilina
Serbia Aleksandra Krunić
7–6(7–4), 6–4

Year-End Championships

Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 2021 WTA Finals, Mexico Hard Chinese Taipei Hsieh Su-wei Czech Republic Barbora Krejčíková
Czech Republic Kateřina Siniaková
3–6, 4–6
Win 2022 WTA Finals, US Hard (i) Veronika Kudermetova Czech Republic Barbora Krejčíková
Czech Republic Kateřina Siniaková
6–2, 4–6, [11–9]
Win 2025 WTA Finals, Saudi Arabia (2) Hard (i) Veronika Kudermetova Hungary Tímea Babos
Brazil Luisa Stefani
7–6(7–4), 6–1

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Elise Mertens para niños

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