Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Elise Mertens

How Elise Mertens built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Elise Mertens is a highly accomplished Belgian professional tennis player. Her career highlights include reaching the world No. 1 ranking in women's doubles in May 2021, making her only the third Belgian player to achieve a top ranking in either singles or doubles. To date, she has accumulated an impressive 34 WTA Tour-level titles, with 10 of those being in singles competitions, showcasing her prowess in both singles and doubles.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2015: WTA Tour Main-Draw Debut

In 2015, Elise Mertens made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the Copa Colsanitas in the doubles event, partnering with Nastja Kolar.

2015: Completed the Sunshine Double in doubles

In 2015, Mertens and Sabalenka became the fifth doubles pairing in history, and first since Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza in 2015, to complete the Sunshine Double in doubles.

2016: Won first career doubles title

In 2016, Elise Mertens won her first career doubles title at the Auckland Open, partnering with An-Sophie Mestach.

January 2017: Won the Hobart International and broke into the WTA top 100

In January 2017, Elise Mertens won the Hobart International, beating Monica Niculescu in the final. As a result, she broke into the WTA top 100 for the first time on January 16, 2017.

2017: Defended her Hobart International title

In 2017, Elise Mertens defended her title at the Hobart International, defeating Mihaela Buzărnescu in the final. She also won the doubles title along with Demi Schuurs.

2017: Represented Belgium in the Billie Jean King Cup

Since 2017, Elise Mertens has represented Belgium in the Billie Jean King Cup.

2018: Upset 2018 champion Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon

At Wimbledon in 2018, Elise Mertens upset 2018 champion Angelique Kerber in the third round.

2018: Reached US Open quarterfinal and won first Grand Slam doubles title

In 2018, Elise Mertens reached her second Grand Slam singles quarterfinal at the US Open. Playing doubles with Sabalenka, the pair won their first Grand Slam doubles title.

2018: Reached a major semifinal and achieved career-high singles ranking

In November 2018, Elise Mertens reached a major semifinal at the Australian Open. Also, in November 2018, Mertens achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 12.

2019: Reached the US Open quarterfinal

In 2019, Elise Mertens reached the US Open quarterfinal.

2019: Won the 2019 US Open

In 2019, Elise Mertens, partnering with Aryna Sabalenka, won the US Open doubles title, marking a major championship win.

2020: Reached the US Open quarterfinal

In 2020, Elise Mertens reached the US Open quarterfinal.

May 2021: Became world No. 1 in women's doubles

In May 2021, Elise Mertens became the world No. 1 in women's doubles, making her the third Belgian to achieve a top ranking in either singles or doubles.

May 2021: Regained World No. 1 spot

In May 2021, Elise Mertens regained the world No. 1 spot she held previously for a week in May 2021 after winning the Wimbledon title.

2021: Stopped collaboration with Ceyssens and hired Simon Goffin

At the end of 2021, Elise Mertens decided to end her long-standing collaboration with her coach Ceyssens, choosing Simon Goffin, David Goffin's brother, as her new coach.

2021: Finished runner-up at the 2021 WTA Finals

In 2021, Elise Mertens and Hsieh finished as runner-up at the WTA Finals.

2021: Won Gippsland Trophy and Australian Open doubles title

In 2021, Elise Mertens won her sixth career singles title at the Gippsland Trophy, beating Kaia Kanepi. At the Australian Open, she and Sabalenka won their second Grand Slam title as a team, defeating Krejčíková/Siniaková.

2021: Won the 2021 Australian Open and Wimbledon Championships

In 2021, Elise Mertens, partnering with Aryna Sabalenka, won the Australian Open doubles title. Also in 2021, Mertens won the Wimbledon Championships with Hsieh Su-wei.

June 2022: Regained No. 1 ranking in doubles

Despite a third-round loss at Roland Garros, Elise Mertens regained her No. 1 ranking in doubles following the conclusion of the tournament on June 6, 2022.

August 2022: Lost world No. 1 doubles ranking

On August 14, 2022, Elise Mertens lost her world No. 1 doubles ranking.

2022: Won the 2022 WTA Finals

In 2022, Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova won the WTA Finals doubles title.

2022: Finished runner-up at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

In 2022, Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai finished as runner-up at the Wimbledon Championships.

2022: Reached Australian Open Fourth Round

In 2022, Elise Mertens reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, where she was defeated by Danielle Collins. She also reached the semifinals in doubles.

April 2023: Returned to top 30 in singles

On April 3, 2023, Elise Mertens returned to the top 30 in singles at world No. 29 following a fourth round showing at the 2023 Miami Open.

May 2023: Won fifth WTA 1000 title and returned to the top 10 in doubles

In May 2023, Elise Mertens won her fifth WTA 1000 title at the Italian Open partnering with Hunter. As a result, she returned to the top 10 in doubles on May 22, 2023.

September 2023: Returned to World No. 1 in Doubles

In September 2023, Elise Mertens returned to world No. 1 in doubles after more than a year, following a semifinal showing at the Guadalajara Open with Hunter. They later reached the final, defeating Caroline Dolehide and Asia Muhammad, and won the title by defeating Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski. In singles at the same tournament, she lost in the second round to Leylah Fernandez.