Coco Gauff condemns racist online abuse following China Open match dispute

CBS News and Al Jazeera reported that American tennis player Coco Gauff publicly condemned racist abuse targeted at her on social media following a controversial point during her third-round match at the China Open in Beijing against Sun Xinran. Gauff responded on the social media platform X, stating that people could disagree about what happened on court without being racist. [1][2]

CBS News and Al Jazeera both reported that the incident occurred in the first set when Sun appeared about to win a point, but Gauff stopped playing. After a video review, the chair umpire ordered the point to be replayed. Gauff won the replayed point to hold serve for 5-5 before securing the match victory against the 16-year-old local player. [1][2]

According to CBS News, Gauff wrote on X that the volume of racist comments and direct messages she received within hours of the match was insane. She added that she is not a cheater or a thief. [1]

Gauff has won twelve career singles titles, including two Grand Slam majors at the 2023 US Open and the 2025 French Open. She has also reached a career-high ranking of world number two in singles and world number one in doubles. [8]