Coco Gauff Reports Racist Abuse After China Open Point Dispute

American tennis player Coco Gauff said on October 5-6, 2026, that she received an "insane" wave of racist abuse on social media after a disputed point helped her beat Sun Xinran in straight sets during their third-round match at the China Open in Beijing.¹⁴⁶

The disputed point

With the score at 4-5 in the opening set, Gauff halted the action after a flickering light in the court's side panels - described by some reports as a flickering electronic advertising board - distracted her during a crucial point. She raised her hand to request a video review, and the chair umpire ordered the point replayed. Gauff won the replayed point, held serve for 5-5, and went on to close out the set and the match 7-5, 6-1, advancing to the last 16.³⁵⁶⁸

Backlash online

In the hours after the match, Gauff said she was targeted with a flood of racist comments and direct messages. "The amount of racist comments/direct messages I've received in the last few hours is insane," she wrote.⁴⁶⁷⁹

Gauff said that once the match had finished, she discussed the incident with Sun and offered an apology, which several reports say the 16-year-old accepted. "Xinran's an incredible talent and player, I apologised for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood," Gauff said.²⁶⁷⁸

Gauff pushed back on criticism of her decision to challenge the point, saying she had acted within the rules. "I think it's weird I'm getting hate for following the rules," she said. She later explained that any point can be contested once it has concluded. She added that, had she lost the point instead, her opponent would have been equally entitled to ask for a replay.¹¹⁰

Gauff described the episode as beyond her control and rejected suggestions that she had acted unfairly. She described the situation as unfortunate but said it was out of her hands. She said Xinran was an incredibly talented player, adding that she had apologised for the situation at the end of the match and that Sun had fully understood. She also wrote, "Lastly, I'm not a cheater or a thief."²⁶⁷⁹

Sun appeared distraught after the loss, having believed she had struck a winner before Gauff halted the rally, according to some reports. Gauff said she was affected by her opponent's reaction. "I didn't like to see her so emotional as I've been there and I really understand what it's like but this is the beginning of an incredible career," she said.²⁵⁷⁹

Scale of online abuse in women's tennis

The episode has drawn renewed attention to online abuse directed at female players. According to figures reported by multiple outlets and attributed to the WTA and World Tennis, female players were targeted with upwards of 12,000 abusive social media posts and messages in 2025, compared with about 8,000 a year earlier.²⁷⁸⁹

According to some reports, the WTA has introduced an AI-powered system to monitor social media activity involving thousands of players and officials in an effort to track abusive content. The BBC reported that organisations including the WTA said collective action is required to make significant progress in tackling the problem.²⁷⁸

Gauff's standing

Gauff is ranked world No 4 and is a two-time Grand Slam champion. She advanced to Wimbledon's round of 16 at age 15 in 2019. Sun, who some reports describe as 16 years old, entered the China Open on a wild card and was making her WTA Tour debut after recently winning the US Open junior title.¹⁴⁵³