Coco Gauff Blames Social Media Abuse for China Open Loss

Coco Gauff’s run at the China Open ended abruptly with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Elise Mertens in the fourth round. Gauff appeared physically unwell during the match, telling her team she had “no energy” and felt she was “going to pass out.” The defeat came after Gauff faced a significant backlash on social media, including what she described as an “insane” amount of racist comments, following a disputed point in her previous match.

During her third-round victory over 16-year-old Sun Xinran, Gauff stopped play mid-rally when electronic advertising boards flickered and changed. The chair umpire restarted the point, which Sun appeared to be on the verge of winning. Gauff later defended her decision on social media, explaining that the changing advertisements constituted a potential hindrance. This incident led to a wave of online abuse.

"It has been kind of draining, I’m not going to lie,” Gauff stated after her loss to Mertens. “I just turn off my phone and move on. There’s nothing you can do.” The match statistics reflected Gauff’s struggles, with eight double faults and 34 unforced errors. Her performance marked her first straight-sets loss since February.

Gauff also explicitly addressed the racist comments she received, posting on X, “Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist. 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.”

Mertens, who had never defeated Gauff in five previous encounters, advanced to her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in five years. She will face Iga Swiatek in the next round. "She’s an incredible player, of course. I knew it was going to be a very tough match,” Mertens said. “But I had motivation. My coach/boyfriend, it’s his birthday tomorrow, so this win is dedicated to him and all the work we do.”