Beijing — Coco Gauff said she received an “insane” amount of racist comments on social media following a controversial point during her China Open match against host Sun Xinran.
Gauff prompted boos from the crowd when she demanded a video review after the on-court electronic billboards flickered at one point during the first set of her 7-5, 6-1 third-round victory over 16-year-old Sun, who had recently won the U.S. Open junior title.
Gauff, who is black, said in her response to X: “Hi guys, you may not like me or agree with what is happening without being racist.” “The amount of racist comments/dms I have received in the last few hours is incredible. Lastly, I am not a scammer or thief.”
The Sun looked about to win the point when Gauff stopped playing. The chair umpire then ordered the point to be replayed.
Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion The player, ranked 4th, took control of the match on Monday.
“Xinran is an incredible talent and player, I apologized for the situation at the end of the match and she totally understood that,” Gauff added in another post.
Sun, who was given a wild card entry by the tournament organizers and was making her WTA Tour debut, looked devastated after the loss.
Gauff, who reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2019 as a 15-year-old, sympathized with Sun.
“I didn’t like seeing her that emotional, having been there, and I really understand what it’s like, but this is just the beginning of an incredible career,” Gauff said. “It was an honor to share the field in front of your own fans.”