Coco Gauff just beat 16-year-old Sun Xinran 7-5, 6-1 on Monday to roll into the Round of 16 at the China Open, but the win is overshadowed by the absolute garbage she’s dealing with off the court. After stopping a controversial point mid-rally, Gauff revealed she’s been slammed with racist messages on social media, calling the volume “insane.”
The Point That Sparked The Firestorm
So here’s what went down: During the first set, Gauff was serving, down 5-4, 15-15. As the rally was going on, she raised her hand to stop play. Sun Xinran had just hit what looked like a winner that would have put her just two points away from snagging the set. Gauff’s reason for the stoppage was clear: the advertisement boards behind Sun had flickered and changed their displays, something that had actually happened earlier in the same point. The umpire hit the video replay, and the call came down: those flickering ads *did* count as a hindrance. The Athletic’s James Hansen backed this up, pointing right to the WTA rulebook which says, “A let should be called if a player is hindered by an event outside of her control (e.g., ball rolling onto the court, paper blowing onto the court, etc.) during play or her service motion.” Gauff ended up winning the point when it was replayed.
Gauff’s Blunt Clap Back: “I’m Not a Cheater or a Thief”
After all that, Gauff wasted no time getting on X to set the record straight and call out the hate. “Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff wrote, clearly fed up. “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 also made it clear that Sun Xinran “completely understood” her decision to stop the point, which tells you everything about the sportsmanship on the court versus the garbage online. Gauff summed up her frustration perfectly: “I think it’s weird I’m getting hate for following the rules.” It really makes you wonder, doesn’t it? The 22-year-old is just out there playing by the book, and some folks online are totally losing it.
Next up, Gauff is set to face Elise Mertens in the Round of 16. She’s hunting for her second WTA title of the year after grabbing the Cincinnati Open in August. Let’s hope the focus can finally shift back to her incredible play.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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