BEIJING — Coco Gauff said the past few days have been "draining" after she received an "insane" amount of racist abuse online before her 6-3 6-3 fourth-round defeat to Elise Mertens at the China Open in Beijing on Wednesday. The American, who won the title in Beijing in 2024 and reached the semi-finals last year, committed 34 unforced errors and eight double faults in a flat display as Belgium's Mertens advanced to the quarter-finals.
The abuse followed an incident in Gauff's third-round win over 16-year-old Sun Xinran on Monday. China's Sun thought she had hit a winner late in the first set, but Gauff raised her hand to halt play because of a flickering light in the side panels surrounding the court. After a video review — which players are allowed to request — the point was replayed, with Gauff winning it before going on to clinch the match. The 22-year-old later posted a lengthy statement explaining what had happened and condemned the racist comments and direct messages she received in response.
Asked how she had felt over the past 36 hours, Gauff said: "It has been kind of draining, I'm not going to lie. I just turn off my phone and move on. I mean, there's nothing you can do." A spokesperson for the Women's Tennis Association said it was appalled by the abuse and was in contact with Gauff "to offer our full support", adding in a statement to the news agency AFP that it was "seeking action" against the abusive content. Reflecting on the defeat, Gauff said: "I was just a bit flat. That's the main thing. The level was there at some points, I just didn't sustain it the whole match."
Mertens will now face former world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals after the six-time major champion beat American teenager Iva Jovic 6-1 6-3. The incident has drawn support for Gauff inside the locker room, following Azarenka's defence of Gauff after the video review row earlier in the tournament.