
Coco Gauff says âÂÂinsaneâ wave of racist abuse followed disputed point at China Open
American stopped rally after being distracted in match
Sinner confirms he is out for rest of year due to injury
Coco Gauff said she received an âÂÂinsaneâ amount of racist comments on social media following a controversial point in her China Open match against home player Sun Xinran.
âÂÂHey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,â Gauff, who is Black, said in a reply on X. âÂÂThe amount of racist comments/dms IâÂÂve received in the last few hours is insane. Lastly, IâÂÂm not a cheater or a thief.âÂÂ
Sun appeared 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 ranked No 4, went on to take control of the match on Monday.
âÂÂI think itâÂÂs weird IâÂÂm getting hate for following the rules. Xinran is [an] incredible talent and player, I apologized for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood,â Gauff added in another post.
Sun, who was given a wild-card entry by tournament organisers and was making her WTA Tour debut, appeared distraught after the loss. Gauff, who reached the fourth-round of Wimbledon as a 15-year-old in 2019, sympathised with Sun. âÂÂI did not like to see her so emotional as IâÂÂve been there and I really understand what it is like but this is just the beginning of an incredible career,â Gauff said. âÂÂIt was an honour to share the court in front of her home crowd.âÂÂ
During a quarter-final match between Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic in the menâÂÂs draw on Sunday, the umpire also agreed to replay a point after Zverev complained about flickering panels. Gauff is due to play Elise Mertens in the last 16 on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner confirmed on Tuesday that he will be out for the rest of the year due to an injured knee.
âÂÂOn âÂÂthe advice of his âÂÂmedical team, Jannik Sinner will follow a course of treatment for inflammation in his knee,â his âÂÂteam said in a statement. âÂÂThe decision has been âÂÂmade to have the treatment now to give Jannik the necessary â time to recover before beginning âÂÂpreparations âÂÂfor 2027. As âÂÂa result, Jannik âÂÂwill âÂÂbe unable âÂÂto âÂÂcompete again during the 2026 season.âÂÂ
