- Coco Gauff Condemns Racist Abuse After Disputed Point at China Open
American tennis player Coco Gauff has condemned racist abuse directed at her on social media following a disputed point during her China Open victory over Chinese teenager Sun Xinran.
The two-time Grand Slam champion said she received an “insane” number of racist messages after defeating the 16-year-old 7-5, 6-1 to reach the last 16 in Beijing.
The controversy arose late in the opening set when Gauff stopped during a rally after courtside advertising panels flickered as Sun was preparing to hit what appeared likely to be a winning shot.
Following a video review, the chair umpire ruled that the external distraction warranted replaying the point. Gauff won the replay and subsequently held serve to level the set at 5-5 before taking control of the match.
The official decision prompted criticism online, but some reactions crossed from disagreement over the point into racial abuse.
“You can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff wrote on social media.
“Lastly, I’m not a cheater or a thief.”
The 22-year-old later said the attacks had taken an emotional toll during the tournament.
“It has been kind of draining, I’m not going to lie,” she said after her subsequent match. “I just turn off my phone and move on.”
Gauff’s China Open defence ended with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the round of 16.
The American committed 34 unforced errors, including eight double faults, during the 78-minute contest. She acknowledged that her performance lacked its usual energy and consistency.
“The level was there at some points; I just didn’t sustain it the whole match,” Gauff said.
She later withdrew from the Wuhan Open, where she was the defending champion, citing fatigue and the need to recover after a demanding season.
The Women’s Tennis Association expressed its support for Gauff and denounced the messages directed at her.
“There is no place for racism, discrimination, or abuse in tennis,” the governing body said.
The WTA said it was “appalled” by the attacks and had contacted Gauff to offer support.
The incident highlights the continuing difficulty sports organisations face in protecting athletes from online abuse.
A study by the WTA and World Tennis found that players received more than 12,000 abusive social-media posts and messages in 2025, up from about 8,000 a year earlier.
The WTA has introduced an artificial intelligence-powered monitoring system covering thousands of players and officials, but the scale and speed of online abuse remain difficult to contain.
Gauff maintained that she acted within the rules when she raised her hand to complain about the flickering advertising panel.
Players are permitted to request video reviews of selected judgment calls, including incidents where an external distraction may have affected play.
She said she first noticed the panel flickering early in the rally but initially doubted whether she had seen it correctly. When the light flickered again, she signalled before Sun completed her shot.
Gauff also said she apologised to Sun after the match and that the Chinese player understood the situation.
She praised the teenager as an “incredible talent” and said it had been an honour to compete against her before the home crowd.
Debate over an umpire’s ruling is part of competitive sport. The racist attacks that followed, however, demonstrated how rapidly legitimate disagreement can become targeted abuse when amplified through social media.
For Gauff, the episode turned a tennis decision made through video review into a personal attack based on race—one whose emotional effects followed her beyond the original match.
