Coco Gauff condemned racist abuse she received online after a replayed point during her China Open victory over Sun Xinran sparked controversy. The world No. 4 beat the 16-year-old Sun 7-5, 6-1 on Monday to reach the round of 16, but the win was overshadowed by a disputed call late in the first set and the backlash that followed.
The Main Development
Serving at 5-4, 15-15 in the first set, Coco Gauff raised her hand to stop play just as Sun struck what would have been a winning shot. Gauff said advertisement boards behind Sun had flickered and changed displays during the point, and the chair umpire reviewed video replay before ruling the shifting ads a hindrance. Under WTA rules, a let is called when a player is hindered by an event outside her control during play. Gauff won the replayed point and went on to close out the match.
The American, 22, said she apologized to Sun afterward. “It was an unfortunate situation but it is out of my control. Xinran is incredible talent and player, I apologised for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood,” Gauff said, according to Sky Sports.
In the hours that followed, Gauff said she was flooded with racist messages from people reacting to the call. “Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist. 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,” she wrote, per Sky Sports.
Coco Gauff Condemns Racist Abuse After Let Call
Gauff pushed back on the idea that she broke any rules by stopping play, framing the decision as one available to either player under tour procedure. “We are told before the matches we are allowed to continue to finish play. My opponent is also free to do the same thing and ask for a replay and she would’ve have been completely in her right to do so,” Gauff said, according to the Sporting News.
She also said the criticism over a legitimate challenge crossed into something else entirely. “I think it’s weird I’m getting hate for following the rules,” Gauff said, per Bleacher Report.
Context
Gauff explained she first noticed the light flicker at the start of the point but was unsure what she had seen. When the ad board changed again later in the rally, she decided to challenge, according to Sporting News. The umpire’s video review backed her account, finding the shifting display qualified as an outside hindrance under WTA rules before ordering the point replayed.
What’s Next
Gauff advances to the round of 16 at the China Open, where her next opponent and match date had not been determined following the win over Sun.
Reporting from ESPN, Sky Sports, Bleacher Report and Sporting News contributed to this story.
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