Gauff says racist abuse followed disputed point in China Open win

Gauff stops rally over flickering LED boards

American Coco Gauff stopped a rally late in the first set of her China Open third-round match against 16-year-old home player Sun Xinran in Beijing, saying electronic advertising boards lining the court flickered during the point. Sun appeared about to win it before Gauff stopped playing, and the chair umpire ordered the point to be replayed. Gauff, the world No. 4 and a two-time Grand Slam champion, went on to win 7-5, 6-1.

Player reports "insane" racist online response

Gauff said on X she received an "insane" amount of racist comments and direct messages in the hours after the match. "Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist," she wrote. "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." Gauff explained that players are allowed to challenge points after play has concluded and said she raised her hands once the boards flickered a second time, before Sun struck her shot.

Sun's WTA debut and Gauff's apology

Sun received a wild-card entry from tournament organizers and was making her official WTA Tour debut after winning the US Open junior title last month. She appeared distraught after the loss. Gauff apologized to Sun at the net. "Xinran is an incredible talent and player, I apologized for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood," Gauff wrote, adding that the moment was "the beginning of an incredible career" and "an honor to share the court in front of her home crowd."

Crowd reaction and Weibo discussion

The video review prompted audible boos from parts of the Beijing crowd, including a similar replay decision during Alexander Zverev's quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic in the men's draw the previous day. By Tuesday morning, a hashtag translating to "Gauff apologised to Sun Xinran after the match" had reached about 4.5 million views on Weibo, ranking among the platform's top trends. The Women's Tennis Association had not immediately responded to a request for comment.

Next match

Gauff is scheduled to face Elise Mertens of Belgium in the China Open round of 16 on Wednesday in Beijing.

Tags

Coco Gauff, Sun Xinran, China Open, WTA, Beijing