Coco Gauff Hit by 'Insane' Racist Abuse After China Open Replay Controversy: 'I'm Not a Cheater or a Thief'

Coco Gauff has condemned an 'insane' wave of racist abuse she says she received online after a disputed replay during her China Open victory over Chinese teenager Sun Xinran.

The world No. 4 stopped a rally after noticing flickering advertising boards during a crucial point in the first set of their third-round match in Beijing on Monday, 5 October. After a video review, the chair umpire ordered the point to be replayed, with Gauff winning it before going on to beat 16-year-old Sun 7-5, 6-1.

The incident triggered criticism online, but Gauff said the backlash had crossed a line, insisting she had followed the rules governing reviews.

Coco Gauff Responds to 'Insane' Racist Abuse

'Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,' Gauff wrote on X. '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 22-year-old American faced a barrage of abusive messages after the incident, including a reply containing a racial slur. Gauff, who is Black, was criticised after stopping play as Sun appeared poised to hit a winner.

The replayed point allowed Gauff to hold serve at 5-5 before she took control of the match and advanced to the last 16.

Why Was the China Open Point Replayed?

Gauff said she initially noticed the advertising boards flickering but was unsure whether she had actually seen a distraction. 'When it flickered again I raised my hands before she hit her shot because this is when I was sure I saw the light flicker,' she explained in a second post.

She said players are told before matches that they can continue play and challenge an incident afterwards. Had the point gone against her, Gauff said Sun would have been entitled to request a review herself.

'It was an unfortunate situation but it is out of my control,' Gauff wrote, describing criticism that she was being unfair as 'ridiculous' because she was following the rules rather than making them.

The procedure was not unique to Gauff's match. During Sunday's men's quarter-final between Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, Zverev also challenged a point after complaining that courtside LED advertising had darkened. The umpire subsequently ordered that point to be replayed.

Gauff Apologises to Sun

Gauff said she apologised to Sun after the match and that the teenager understood the situation. 'Xinran is incredible talent and player,' Gauff wrote. 'I apologised for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood.' She added that she did not like seeing Sun become emotional, saying she understood what it was like to experience difficult moments on court.

Sun received a wildcard for the China Open and was making her WTA Tour debut. The 16-year-old had also recently won the US Open junior title, making her run in Beijing a significant step in her early professional career.

Gauff praised Sun's potential and said it was an honour to share the court with her in front of her home crowd.

Gauff Advances to Round of 16

Gauff's 7-5, 6-1 victory sent her into the fourth round, where she is due to face Belgium's Elise Mertens on Wednesday, 7 October.

The incident has also highlighted the wider problem of online abuse in tennis.

According to Reuters, a WTA and World Tennis study found more than 12,000 posts targeting players were categorised as abusive in 2025. The WTA has since introduced AI-powered tools to monitor abusive content.