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On November 17, 1995, Elise Mertens, a professional tennis player from Belgium, was born. She once held the top spot in the doubles world. With Aryna Sabalenka, Mertens has triumphed in three Grand Slam doubles competitions: the 2019 US Open, the 2021 Australian Open, and the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. Mertens finished second at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships behind Zhang Shuai. She was the third Belgian, after Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, to hold the top rank in both sports when she first gained it in May 2021. On the WTA Tour, Mertens has won 16 doubles championships, including the 2022 WTA Finals with Veronika Kudermetova.
She has also won four titles at the WTA 1000 level and placed second at the 2021 WTA Finals with Hsieh. She is also a successful singles player, having advanced to the semifinals of a major tournament at the 2018 Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2019 and 2020. Mertens won seven WTA Tour championships, including two at the WTA 500 level, and now holds a career-high singles ranking of No. 12 in the world. Since 2017, she has played for Belgium in the Billie Jean King Cup. She also took part in the singles and doubles competitions at the 2020 Olympic Games.
Mertens defeated Monica Niculescu, the No. 3 seed, in the Hobart International final to claim victory. As a result, she entered the WTA top 100 for the first time on January 16, 2017. Mertens made history in Hobart by being the first woman to start the year with back-to-back victories. She defeated Mihaela Buzărnescu in the championship match to successfully defend her title from the previous year. She also won the doubles championship alongside Demi Schuurs. She defeated Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in straight sets to claim the championship. She also won the doubles title with fellow native Kirsten Flipkens. Two weeks later, she defeated Australian Ajla Tomljanovi in straight sets to win the singles title at the Morocco Open.
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Guido Mertens, a church furniture manufacturer, and Liliane Barbe, a teacher, were Elise’s parents when she was born. Their second child is Elise. She attended home school and loved learning new languages; she is fluent in French, English, and Dutch/Flemish. Lauren, her older sister, who is currently a pilot, introduced tennis to Elise when she was four years old. Elise Mertens has been receiving instruction at the Kim Clijsters Academy since 2015.
Who is Philippe Dahaes?
Philippe Dahaes is a 51-year-old Belgian tennis coach. He has coached some big names in world tennis including the likes of Kristof Vliegen (1999-2004, 2005-06), Xavier Malisse (2004), Christophe Rochus (2006-07), Yanina Wickmayer (2007-09), Maryna Zanevska (2012-17), Daria Kasatkina (2017-19), and Monica Puig (2019-2020). He is married with two kids. Between 2007 and 2009, he was the technical director of Justine Henin’s tennis academy. From 2009 to 2012, he was the director of the Belgium International Tennis and Education Centre. Dehaes is a Belgian Tennis Federation Level 3 Tennis Instructing Expert. Lacoste, Technifibre, and Volvo are among the sponsors.
