Coco Gauff described the past few days as “draining” after receiving racist abuse online before her fourth-round exit at the China Open.
The American tennis star was subjected to an “insane” amount of racist comments and direct messages following a controversial incident during her third-round victory over 16-year-old Sun Xinran on Monday.
During the match, Sun believed she had hit a winner late in the first set, but Gauff raised her hand to stop play due to a flickering light in the side panels around the court. Following a video review, which players are permitted to request, the point was replayed. Gauff won the replayed point and went on to win the match.
The 22-year-old posted a lengthy statement explaining the situation and later condemned the racist abuse she received in response.
Gauff lost her next match 6-3 6-3 to Elise Mertens on Wednesday.
Impact of Abuse
When asked about her experience over the previous 36 hours, Gauff said: “It has been kind of draining, I’m not going to lie. I just turn off my phone and move on. I mean, there’s nothing you can do.”
A Women’s Tennis Association spokesperson said the organization was appalled by the abuse and was in contact with Gauff “to offer our full support.” The governing body told AFP it was “seeking action” against the abusive content.
Gauff, who won the Beijing title in 2024, struggled against Mertens with 34 unforced errors and eight double faults.
“I was just a bit flat. That’s the main thing,” Gauff said. “The level was there at some points, I just didn’t sustain it the whole match.”
Other Results
Belgium’s Mertens will face former world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals after the six-time major champion defeated American teenager Iva Jovic 6-1 6-3.
In other action, Britain’s Arthur Fery beat Marin Cilic 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 in the Shanghai Masters first round. Fery recovered from a break down in the first set before dominating the former US Open champion in the second to claim his first ATP Tour win since August. The 24-year-old will next face Russia’s 26th seed Karen Khachanov.