Coco Gauff faces racist abuse after disputed point at China Open

Consensus Summary

Coco Gauff faced a storm of racist abuse after a controversial point during her 7-5, 6-1 victory over 16-year-old Sun Xinran at the China Open. The match, which took place on Monday, was halted when Gauff raised her hand to challenge a point due to flickering advertising boards, prompting a replay. While the umpire ruled in her favor, the incident sparked outrage from some spectators and a deluge of online harassment, with Gauff later calling the volume of racist messages 'insane.' Both ABC and the Guardian report that she received thousands of abusive posts, part of a broader trend highlighted by the WTA, which documented over 12,000 such messages in 2025, up from 8,000 in 2019.

The dispute began when Gauff, a two-time major singles champion, paused play during a critical moment in the first set, claiming the flickering lights distracted her. After a video review, the point was replayed, and she ultimately won the match. The Guardian notes that Sun Xinran, a wildcard entry making her WTA Tour debut, appeared emotional after the loss, while ABC emphasizes that Gauff followed the rules by requesting the review. Both outlets agree that Gauff later apologized to Sun, who accepted her explanation. The incident underscores ongoing challenges in tennis over player conduct and online abuse, particularly for high-profile athletes like Gauff.

Gauff’s response to the backlash was swift and public, with her posting on X to condemn the racism while defending her actions. 'You can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,' she wrote, adding, 'I’m not a cheater or a thief.' The Guardian reports that she sympathized with Sun’s emotional reaction, recalling her own experiences as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon in 2019. ABC highlights her frustration with the abuse, noting that the WTA’s AI monitoring system aims to combat such harassment. Both sources quote Gauff’s acknowledgment that she was 'following the rules' when she challenged the point, though the Guardian provides additional context about Sun’s debut status and the wildcard entry.

While ABC focuses on Gauff’s fourth-round advancement and the broader issue of online abuse, the Guardian delves deeper into her subsequent loss to Elise Mertens in the last 16, describing a 6-3, 6-3 defeat where Gauff struggled with eight double faults and 34 unforced errors. The Guardian also clarifies Gauff’s ranking, initially calling her the eighth seed but later noting she was ranked No 4, which creates some confusion. Additionally, the outlet details Mertens’ path to the quarterfinals, where she will face Iga Swiatek after Swiatek’s 6-1, 6-3 win over Iva Jovic. ABC, meanwhile, does not mention Mertens or the quarterfinals, instead emphasizing the immediate fallout from the abuse and Gauff’s social media response.

The articles differ slightly on the round in which Gauff’s match took place, with ABC describing it as the fourth round and the Guardian initially calling it the third round before acknowledging her progression. This discrepancy may stem from the timeline of reporting, as the Guardian’s later article confirms her fourth-round appearance. Both sources, however, agree on the core details: the disputed point, the racist abuse, and Gauff’s defiance in the face of criticism. The unresolved question, as noted by the Guardian, is how the abuse will affect Gauff’s performance moving forward, though she downplayed its impact, stating, 'There’s nothing you can do' but to move on.