Coco Gauff says she has received a flood of racist messages on social media after a disputed point during her third-round win at the China Open in Beijing. The American beat 16-year-old home player Sun Xinran 7-5, 6-1 on Monday, but a replayed point late in the first set set off an online backlash. Here is what happened and how Gauff responded.
The disputed point
Late in the first set, electronic advertising boards around the court flickered during a rally. Gauff demanded a review which was met with some jeering from sections of the home crowd before the chair umpire eventually watched a video replay and ruled the point had to be replayed.
Umpire orders a replay
After reviewing the footage, the chair umpire ruled that the point should be replayed.Gauff won it on the rerun to stay in service and level the opening set at 5-5. She took control from there on and cruised to victory.
Gauff takes control
Gauff defeated the 16-year-old 7-5, 6-1 in the third round in Beijing. The 22-year-old American is ranked No. 4 in the world and is a two-time Grand Slam champion. The win sent her through to the next round of the tournament.
The online backlash
After the match, Gauff’s social media accounts were flooded with abusive comments and direct messages, many of them racist. Some users accused her of stopping play unfairly to deny Sun the point. Gauff, who is Black, said much of it arrived within hours of the match ending.
Gauff responds
Early on Tuesday, Gauff replied on X to a post containing a racial slur. She wrote that people could dislike her or disagree with what happened without being racist, and called the amount of abuse she had received in a few hours “insane.”
Following the rules
Gauff also defended her decision to stop the rally, saying she had followed the rules when she challenged the point. In the same post, she wrote that she was not a cheater or a thief, addressing accusations made against her online after the match.
Praise for sun xinran
Gauff said she apologized to Sun for the situation at the end of the match and that Sun understood. She called the teenager an incredible talent and said it was difficult to see her so emotional, adding that it was only the start of Sun’s career.
WTA tackles online abuse
Online abuse of players has become a growing concern in tennis. The WTA has introduced an AI-powered system that monitors social media accounts of thousands of players and officials to identify abusive messages. Gauff’s experience has again highlighted how quickly a single on-court moment can escalate online.
