Photo: Getty Images
Coco Gauff is calling out racist abuse she received online after a disputed moment during her China Open victory over Chinese teenager Sun Xinran.
Gauff defeated 16-year-old Sun 7-5, 6-1 on Monday (October 5) to advance to the fourth round. But the match drew backlash after Gauff stopped play during a crucial point in the first set.
With Gauff serving at 4-5, Sun appeared poised to win the point when Gauff raised her hand and stopped the rally.
Gauff said electronic advertising boards behind Sun had flickered during the point, distracting her.
The chair umpire reviewed the incident and determined the flickering advertisements were a hindrance outside Gauff’s control. The point was replayed, and Gauff won it before going on to win the match.
According to Bleacher Report, the WTA rules allow a point to be replayed when an outside event hinders a player. A similar incident occurred during Sunday's (October 4) match between Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic, when a point was replayed after Zverev complained about flickering panels.
The backlash against Gauff included racist attacks directed at her on X. One user tagged Gauff and wrote, “@CoCoGauff f**k you n****r.”
Gauff responded to the racist comments, writing, “Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist.”
She added, “The amount of racist comments/dms I've received in the last few hours is insane. Lastly, I'm not a cheater or a thief.”
The same user responded to Gauff, writing, “Aw, China doesn’t want you n****r here at all. Do us all a favor and never show your face again.”
Gauff followed up with a detailed explanation of the incident, saying she initially saw the light flicker but “was not sure if that is what I actually saw.” She explained that players are instructed to continue playing when something happens during a point and that the issue can be challenged afterward.
“When it flickered again I raised my hands before she hit her shot because this is when I was sure I saw the light flicker and it wasn't my mind doing tricks lol,” Gauff wrote.
She also pushed back against criticism that she acted unfairly, writing, “It was an unfortunate situation but it is out of my control.” Gauff added, “I think it's weird I'm getting hate for following the rules.”
Gauff said she apologized to Sun after the match and that the teenager “completely understood.” She also praised Sun as an “incredible talent and player,” adding that she was honored to share the court with her “in front of her home crowd.”
Gauff will face Elise Mertens in the fourth round on Wednesday (October 7).
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