Coco Gauff has reported receiving an “insane” number of racist comments on social media after a disputed point during her China Open match against China’s Sun Xinran in Beijing.
The American fourth seed requested a video review late in the first set after electronic advertising boards around the court flickered during a rally. Some spectators booed as the review was called.
Sun appeared close to winning the point when Gauff stopped playing, and the chair umpire ordered it to be replayed. Gauff went on to win 7-5, 6-1 and reach the fourth round.
“Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff, who is Black, wrote in a reply 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.”
Sun, 16, was making her WTA Tour debut after receiving a wild card from tournament organisers. She recently won the US Open junior title.
Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, said she had apologised to Sun after the match and that the teenager had understood the situation.
“Xinran is (an) incredible talent and player, I apologized for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood,” Gauff said in another post.
Sun appeared distraught following the defeat, prompting sympathy from Gauff, who reached the fourth round of Wimbledon as a 15-year-old in 2019.
“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,” Gauff said. “It was an honor to share the court in front of her home crowd.”
