Coco Gauff calls out online racism following China Open video review

Coco Gauff in action during her round-of-32 match against Sun Xinran at the China Open. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

American tennis star Coco Gauff said on Tuesday she faced an “insane” amount of online racist abuse after defeating Chinese teenager Sun Xinran in a match that included a video review.

During Monday’s China Open match against 16-year-old Sun Xinran in Beijing, the former US Open champion requested a video review over flickering LED lights, prompting some boos from the crowd.

“Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff wrote on X.

“The amount of racist comments and messages I’ve received in the last few hours is insane,” her post read.

The umpire agreed for the point to be replayed, and 22-year-old Gauff went on to win the match 7-5, 6-1.

Responding on X to a post containing a racial slur that was flagged as potential “hateful content”, the Black American player clarified in a separate post that she challenged the point before Sun’s return when she noticed the lights flicker a second time.

READ: Medvedev says ‘terribly sorry’ for hitting fan with ball in ‘accident’ at China Open

“I think it’s weird I’m getting hate for following the rules,” she said, explaining that players are instructed they can challenge points after play has concluded.

“Xinran is an incredible talent and player. I apologised for the situation at the end of the match, and she completely understood,” she added.

By Tuesday morning, the hashtag “Gauff apologised to Sun Xinran after the match” had hit 4.5 million views, ranking as the sixth top trend on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) did not immediately respond to AFP.

During a quarterfinal match between Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic in the men’s draw on Sunday, the umpire also agreed to replay a point after Zverev complained about flickering panels.

Gauff, the world No. 4, claimed the Beijing title in 2024. She is due to play Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the round of 16 on Wednesday.