BEIJING — Coco Gauff defeated 16-year-old Sun Xinran 7-5, 6-1 in the third round of the 2026 China Open in Beijing, but her victory was overshadowed by a controversial video review incident in the opening set.
During the first set, Gauff called for a video review after Xinran hit a winner, arguing that flashing LED screens at the side of the court had distracted her. The umpire ordered the point to be replayed, which Gauff won before closing out the match. Xinran was visibly upset after the decision and never recovered, falling to her first WTA Tour main-draw defeat to move to 2-1, while Gauff was heavily criticised and received unacceptable abuse on social media.
Former world number one Victoria Azarenka has now come to Gauff's defence. The two-time Grand Slam champion described video replays as a "very new addition to tennis" and said confusion will remain until procedures are clarified. "VR is still a very new addition to tennis, and its use and application aren’t yet consistent across every tournament. Until the rules and procedures are clearly defined and applied consistently, there will naturally be some confusion—for players and fans alike," Azarenka said. She also addressed the timing of Gauff's call, made just before Xinran put away the forehand winner, arguing it was the "umpire's responsibility" and that players deserve more grace, adding it would be unfair to "assign bad intentions" to anyone.
After the controversial win, Gauff will return to action on Wednesday, 7 October against Belgium's Elise Mertens for a place in the quarter-finals. The 13th seed defeated Katie Volynets and Jelena Ostapenko in three sets to reach the last 16, but Gauff leads their head-to-head 5-0. The winner could face Iga Swiatek or Iva Jovic, with Gauff 5-11 against Swiatek having won their last four meetings and unbeaten against Jovic after wins in Rome and New York this year. With top seeds Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka suffering early exits, Gauff's projected path would see her most likely meet Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals and Russia's Mirra Andreeva in the final, holding a 2-4 record against Svitolina and a 6-0 lead over Andreeva.