Coco Gauff has stated she received an "insane" amount of racist comments on social media following a controversial point during her China Open match against Sun Xinran. The incident occurred late in the first set of her 7-5, 6-1 third-round victory when Gauff stopped a rally after electronic advertising boards on the court flickered.
Gauff, who is Black, addressed the abuse on X, stating: "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 chair umpire ordered the point to be replayed after Gauff stopped playing, despite Sun appearing close to winning it. Gauff, a two-time grand slam champion ranked No 4, went on to secure control of the match on Monday. She expressed sympathy for Sun, a 16-year-old US Open junior champion making her WTA Tour debut, saying, "I did not like to see her so emotional as I’ve been there and I really understand what it is like but this is just the beginning of an incredible career."
In other tennis news, Jannik Sinner confirmed on Tuesday that he will miss the remainder of the 2026 season due to a knee injury. His team stated he would undergo treatment for inflammation to recover before 2027 preparations.