Coco Gauff had no problem with people questioning what happened during a controversial point in her China Open victory over Chinese teenager Sun Xinran.
What the American star would not accept was the conversation turning racist.
Gauff said she was flooded with racist comments and direct messages on social media after defeating the 16-year-old Sun 7-5, 6-1 Monday to advance to the fourth round in Beijing.
“You can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff wrote on X in response to a post containing a racial slur.
Gauff described the volume of racist messages she received in the hours after the match as “insane” before adding: “Lastly, I’m not a cheater or a thief.”
The ugly reaction followed a strange and pivotal sequence late in the opening set.
Coco Gauff Defends Controversial Call
With Sun leading 5-4 and Gauff serving, electronic advertising boards surrounding the court flickered during a rally.
Gauff raised her hand after noticing the distraction as Sun appeared poised to finish the point. Following a video review, the chair umpire ruled the point should be replayed.
Sun and the home crowd were understandably frustrated.
Gauff won the replayed point, eventually held serve for 5-5 and took control from there. She won the opening set 7-5 before rolling through the second 6-1.
The sequence quickly became the defining moment of the match online, with Gauff accused by some fans of cheating.
Gauff pushed back against that characterization, explaining on social media that players are permitted to request a review and that the final decision belonged to the officials.
She also made a point of separating the controversy from Sun.
Gauff said she apologized to the Chinese teenager after the match and that Sun understood what had happened. She called Sun an “incredible talent” and expressed sympathy after seeing her opponent become emotional following the loss.
“I did not like to see her so emotional as I’ve been there,” Gauff wrote, adding that it was only the beginning of what she expects to be an impressive career.
Racist Abuse Overshadows Gauff’s China Open Win
The episode once again exposed one of tennis’ persistent problems.
A 2025 season-wide report from the WTA and World Tennis found that more than 12,000 social media posts directed at players were categorized as abusive, including 3,726 cases of serious abuse involving racist, violent, sexual or targeted threats.
For Gauff, however, Monday’s backlash crossed a line that had nothing to do with whether she should have stopped the rally.
There was room to debate the rule, the umpire’s decision or even Gauff’s decision to challenge what happened. Racist attacks were something else entirely.
The two-time Grand Slam champion made that distinction unmistakable.
Now ranked No. 4 in the world, Gauff moves on to face Elise Mertens in the round of 16 Wednesday.
Her China Open run continues.
The controversy surrounding her latest victory, unfortunately, became about far more than tennis.
Coco Gauff Fires Back After China Open Win Sparks Backlash