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Match Details
Fixture: (20) Elise Mertens vs McCartney Kessler
Date: September 26, 2025
Tournament: China Open
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $8,963,700
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Elise Mertens vs McCartney Kessler preview
20th seed Elise Mertens will take on McCartney Kessler in the second round of the China Open 2025.
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Mertens started the year with a runner-up finish in Hobart, and later captured her first title of the season in Singapore. She captured her second title of the year at the Libema Open after saving a whopping 11 match points in the semifinals. A fourth-round showing at the Italian Open remains her best result at the WTA 1000 level.
Wimbledon was Mertens' best Major this year. She advanced to the fourth round in singles, the furthest she went at any Major this season. She also captured the doubles title with Veronika Kudermetova, the fifth of her career and her second at the All England Club. As one of the seeded players at the China Open, she received a first-round bye.
While Mertens had a bye, Kessler was up against home favorite Shi Han. The American bagged the first three games of the opening set before losing the next two. She then went on another three-game run to take the set.
Kessler led by a break twice in the second set. She even served for the match at 5-4 and held a couple of match points, only for Shi to raise her level to keep herself in contention with a break of serve. The set went to a tie-break, in which Kessler came out on top for a 6-2, 7-6 (5) win.
Elise Mertens vs McCartney Kessler head-to-head
Kessler leads their rivalry 1-0. She won their previous meeting at the Hobart International 2025 in three sets.
Elise Mertens vs McCartney Kessler odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elise Mertens vs McCartney Kessler prediction
After losing in the first round of the China Open on her debut last year, Kessler finally scored her first win at the venue by beating Shi this time. Despite her opponent being ranked outside the top 300, she encountered some pushback from her.
Kessler improved her record for the season to 26-19 with the win. She has won two titles from three finals this year, all at the WTA 250 level. She beat Mertens to win one of her titles, coming out on top in the Hobart final at the start of the season.
Mertens has a 34-18 record this year, putting together her best season since 2020, when she tallied 34 wins as well. She's got room to beef up those numbers as well. Aside from the Canadian Open, she has won at least one match at every WTA 1000 tournament this year.
Both have 20 wins each on hardcourts this year. This match could go down to the wire like their previous meeting, though Mertens will be favored to come out on top if Kessler plays like she did in the first round.
Pick: Elise Mertens to win in three sets.
