Sports Mole previews Friday’s Wimbledon third-round match between Elise Mertens and Elina Svitolina, including predictions, head-to-head and their tournament so far.
Eight years after their first match on the women’s tour, Elise Mertens and Elina Svitolina face off in the third round of Wimbledon, vying for a last-16 spot.
The Belgian, who is in the third round for the first time since 2022, faces a tough challenge against the two-time semi-finalist in these parts to match her runs in 2019 and 2022.
Match preview
After losing the opening set to Ann Li on Wednesday, you might have thought Mertens was heading for a familiar second-round exit at SW19.
The 29-year-old exited at the hands of Emma Raducanu 12 months ago and was beaten by Svitolina in 2023, and a similar fate seemed likely against her American opponent.
However, the 10-time WTA champion fought back in sets two and three to win 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-2, reaching the third round for the first time since 2022, when she made the last 16 before falling to Ons Jabeur.
Defeating Li has boosted her overall record at the Championships to 14-7, and she aims for a 15th win over an opponent who last failed to reach the second week at Wimbledon in 2021.
Having recently broken her second-round jinx, Mertens, whose 28 wins in 2025 include titles in Hobart, Singapore and ‘s Hertogenbosch, hopes to upset the 18-time WTA champion.
Just a week after Svitolina ended Mertens’s five-match winning streak to beat her in straight sets in ‘s Hertogenbosch last week, the 30-year-old is looking for another victory over the former world No. 12.
Svitolina has hardly broken a sweat in rounds one and two at the All England Club this week, beating Anna Bondar and Aliaksandra Sasnovich to reach the third round at SW19 for the fifth time and third consecutive year.
The 18-time WTA champion has reached the semi-finals twice in 2023 and the quarter-finals 12 months ago, highlighting her recent solid performances at this tournament.
Having previously exited in the first or second round in five of her past six visits to the All England Club — with a fourth-round appearance in 2017 — the 30-year-old has made deep runs in three of her last four appearances, only early exiting to Magda Linette in 2021.
Aiming to participate in the second week at Wimbledon for the third year running, Svitolina, now with a 22-10 career record, is the clear favourite to win Friday’s match.
While a tough match against Aryna Sabalenka or the challenge of local favourite Raducanu awaits the winner of this duel, the former world No. 3 plans to take it one match at a time in her quest to improve on her 32-10 record in 2025.
Tournament so far
Elise Mertens:
First round: vs. Linda Fruhvirtova 6-4 6-2
Second round: vs. Ann Li 6-7[5] 6-1 6-2
Elina Svitolina:
First round: vs. Anna Bondar 6-3 6-1
Second round: vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2 6-4
Head To Head
Bad Homburg (2025) – Round of 32: Svitolina 7-5 6-4
Charleston (2024) – Round of 16: Mertens 6-4 6-1
Wimbledon (2023) – Second round: Svitolina 6-1 1-6 6-1
Gippsland Trophy (2021) – Quarter-final: Mertens 6-3 5-7(10-6)
Cincinnati (2019) – Round of 32: Svitolina 6-4 6-1
Montreal (2018) – Quarter-final: Svitolina 7-5 6-3
Australian Open (2018) – Quarter-final: Mertens 6-4 6-0
Istanbul (2017) – Final: Svitolina 6-2 6-4
Svitolina and Mertens meet in the third round at Wimbledon eight years after their first tour-level clash in the 2017 Istanbul final, which the Ukrainian star won in straight sets.
The 18-time WTA champion has since secured four more wins over the Belgian, leading 5-3 in their rivalry ahead of Friday’s ninth encounter.
Interestingly, two of Svitolina’s wins have come on grass — at Wimbledon in 2023 and recently at Bad Homburg — confirming her surface proficiency.
Nevertheless, the Belgian and former No. 12-ranked player will take confidence from winning two of the last four matches, despite losing three of the initial four head-to-head encounters.
We say: Svitolina to win in two sets
While Mertens has managed two wins in their recent four meetings, Svitolina’s grass-court prowess and overall superiority suggest that the Ukrainian is likely to beat the Belgian in their ninth matchup, setting her up for a potential showdown with Sabalenka or Raducanu.
Previews by email
Click here to get Sports Mole‘s daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!