The 21st century
Belgium · born Leuven, 1995 · right-handed · twice Wimbledon doubles champion
All playersBack to the rankings
2
Wimbledon doubles titles, 2021 and 2025
QF
Best Wimbledon singles result, 2026
11
Match points saved, 's-Hertogenbosch semi-final 2025
6
Grand Slam women's doubles titles
Born in Leuven on 17 November 1995, Mertens trained at the Kim Clijsters Academy from 2015 and broke through at the 2018 Australian Open, where she reached the semi-finals. She rose to No. 12 in singles that November and reached the US Open quarter-finals in 2019 and 2020. Doubles brought her greatest success: six Grand Slam titles with Aryna Sabalenka, Hsieh Su-wei, Veronika Kudermetova and Zhang Shuai, and several spells as world No. 1, the first in May 2021 and the latest in February 2026. She has won ten WTA singles titles and has played Billie Jean King Cup for Belgium since 2017. In 2026, seeded 25th at Wimbledon, she beat the second seed Elena Rybakina and reached her first Wimbledon singles quarter-final, where Linda Nosková beat her 6-3, 7-5.
| Wimbledon singles | Quarter-final 2026; fourth round 2019, 2022 and 2025; debut in 2017 |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon doubles | Champion 2021 with Hsieh Su-wei, beating Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina 3-6, 7-5, 9-7; champion 2025 with Kudermetova, beating Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 |
| Wimbledon doubles finals lost | 2022 with Zhang Shuai, to Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková 6-2, 6-4; 2023 with Storm Hunter, to Hsieh and Barbora Strýcová 7-5, 6-4 |
| Other grass titles | 's-Hertogenbosch singles 2025, beating the qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 7-6, her first grass singles title; Birmingham doubles 2024 with Hsieh |
| Wimbledon 2026 | Seeded 25th. Beat Laura Siegemund, then Rybakina 7-6, 6-1 for her first top-10 win on grass, and Marie Bouzková 6-4, 6-4; lost to Nosková in the quarter-final |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Women's doubles | with Hsieh Su-wei |
| 2025 | Women's doubles | with Veronika Kudermetova |
| 's-Hertogenbosch (Rosmalen) | ||
| 2018 | Women's doubles Rosmalen Grass Court Championships | with Demi Schuurs |
| 2025 | Women's singles Rosmalen Grass Court Championships | |
| Birmingham | ||
| 2024 | Women's doubles | with Hsieh Su-wei |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. † single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"There is no feeling like winning The Championships."
The person behind the player.
's-Hertogenbosch 2025
In the semi-final Ekaterina Alexandrova led 6-2, 5-3 and held 11 match points, the most saved by any player in a tour-level main-draw win this decade. Mertens won 2-6, 7-6, 6-4. "I didn't even know it was 11, after one or two I lost count," she said. The next day she beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse for her first grass title.
Source: WTA's-Hertogenbosch 2025
Mertens grew up looking up to Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters and trained at Clijsters' academy until it closed in 2022. Her title in 's-Hertogenbosch, about 90 minutes by car from Leuven, put her alongside both as Belgian champions there. "Great to join the ranks with Kim and Justine," she said, calling the tournament her backyard.
Source: Libéma OpenWimbledon 2021 · Centre Court
Mertens and Hsieh Su-wei had lost four of their first five events as a pair after holding match points. In the Wimbledon final they trailed Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina 6-3, 5-3, saved two championship points and won 9-7 in a final set lasting over an hour. "We never gave up," Mertens said. The title returned her to doubles No. 1.
Source: WTAWimbledon 2025 · Centre Court
Her second Wimbledon doubles title came with Veronika Kudermetova, who had failed to convert two championship points against her in the 2021 final. Across the net was Hsieh Su-wei, her partner that year, playing with Jelena Ostapenko. Mertens and Kudermetova trailed 4-2 in the third set and won the last four games for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Source: WTAWimbledon 2026 · No. 1 Court
Mertens had beaten Elena Rybakina once in eight meetings, on clay in Madrid in 2021, and never on grass. In the third round she won a first-set tie-break and then the second set 6-1 in 96 minutes. She called it "one of my most memorable wins" and described No. 1 Court as a beautiful place to play.
Source: WTAWimbledon 2026 · Centre Court
Beaten 6-3, 7-5 by Linda Nosková in her first Wimbledon quarter-final, Mertens did not dwell on her own match. "I think she is one of the contenders," she said of the Czech, who had broken her once in each set and served out the match to love. Nosková went on to win the title.
Source: Tennis MajorsFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
Join freePage updated 3 November 2026. Spotted an error? Send a correction.
