As the intensity of the 2020 US Open grows, so does the intensity and focus of Belgium’s Elise Mertens.
The No. 16 seed has locked in her best tennis now that she’s reached the quarterfinals, and on Wednesday night, she will play Victoria Azarenka for a shot at her first US Open semifinal appearance.
Not only has Mertens come through the draw without dropping a set, but she also dismissed No. 2 seed and reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in an hour and 15 minutes in her previous round, committing only seven unforced errors in the victory.
Mertens’ coach, Robbe Ceyssens, attributes her top-level performance to being more aggressive on the court, which hasn’t always been a part of her repertoire.
“She gets a lot of balls back into the court, and she was in the past maybe a bit too defensive,” Ceyssens said. “That's why we are working a bit more on her aggressive game. She has that as a base, and now we are working on getting her chances into the court.”
She may not be one of the names you would expect to see so deep in the draw, but Mertens is no stranger to the later rounds of a Slam. Just last year, she reached the quarterfinals here at the US Open before falling to eventual champion Bianca Andreescu. And at the 2018 Australian Open, the Belgian made it to the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Caroline Wozniacki.
And there’s one more reason for Mertens to be confident as she heads into her match against Azarenka: she’s defeated her before—in doubles. Last year, Mertens teamed up with Aryna Sabalenka to win her first Slam title over Azarenka and Ashleigh Barty, in the US Open women’s doubles final. But this time, she’ll be taking on the Belarusian alone.
“The word 'confident' everybody uses a lot,” Mertens said. “I try to be myself. I try to play the best match I can, try to be the best person I can on that day, [against that] player. I mean, I feel confident, of course. But I'm trying to look at it a little bit differently, just trying to look at myself a little bit.”
Keeping the focus on herself has proven successful thus far for Mertens. It’s something her coach believes can help her dial in as she looks to equal her best Slam result.
“The way she's competing and the way she's mentally ready for every match and every opportunity to play her best game, I think I'm really pleased with that,” Ceyssens said.
