Volynets vs Mertens Prediction 3 October 2026

Volynets is going through a steady working phase right now - sitting around the top 70, playing a heavy schedule. Before heading to China she stopped in Seoul, where she once again showed that she can outrun the more modest players without breaking a sweat, but the moment someone with a heavy, aggressive ball steps on court, problems start. Katie is in fine physical shape, but her game is desperately short of power - she relies almost entirely on retrieving. In Beijing she has already passed her first test, and with flying colours. In the first round she battled through an all-American derby against Robin Montgomery. It was a nervy match; Katie made plenty of errors, but at the most important moments, late in both sets, she simply switched into wall mode. She ground out two identical 7-5 sets on sheer determination and the ability to wait for her opponent to self-destruct.

Mertens is a different proposition altogether - world No. 19 with enormous experience. That said, her preparation for the Asian hard-court swing has been somewhat disrupted. After a solid US Open, where she put together a good run, Elise has had little meaningful match practice on hard courts since. Her form is competitive, but lately she has had a habit of creating problems for herself out of nowhere - her serve suddenly going off, or a run of unforced errors in straightforward situations. As a seed, Mertens had a first-round bye and watched from the stands. That cuts both ways: Elise has saved energy, but she will need to find her rhythm and adjust to the local bounce mid-match, while Volynets has already had time to settle into the courts.