BEIJING — Coco Gauff said the past few days have been "draining" after she received an "insane" amount of racist abuse online, a stretch that ended with a 6-3, 6-3 fourth-round loss to Belgium's Elise Mertens at the China Open in Beijing on Wednesday.
The abuse followed Gauff's third-round win over 16-year-old Sun Xinran of China on Monday. Late in the first set, Sun thought she had hit a winner, but Gauff raised her hand to halt play because of a flickering light in the side panels surrounding the court. After a video review — which players are allowed to request — the point was replayed and Gauff won it before going on to clinch the match. The 22-year-old American later posted a lengthy statement explaining the incident and condemned the racist comments and direct messages she received.
Asked how she felt over the past 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 spokesperson for the Women's Tennis Association said it was appalled by the abuse and was in contact with Gauff "to offer our full support," telling the news agency AFP it was "seeking action" against the abusive content. Gauff, who won the title in Beijing in 2024 and reached the semifinals last year, committed 34 unforced errors and eight double faults against Mertens and said, "I was just a bit flat. That's the main thing. The level was there at some points, I just didn't sustain it the whole match."
Mertens will play former world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals after the six-time major champion beat American teenager Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-3.