American tennis player Coco Gauff condemned racist abuse she said she received on social media after defeating China’s Sun Xinyuan 7-5, 6-1 on Monday in the third round of the China Open in Beijing, in a match that sparked angry online reactions after a decisive point was replayed.
Gauff, 22, a two-time Grand Slam champion, said in response to a post containing a racist insult that followers had the right to disagree with her or dislike her, but not to resort to racism. She added that the volume of racist comments and direct messages she received over several hours was “insane”, insisting: “I am not a cheater or a thief”.
Replayed point settles controversy in Beijing match
The incident occurred at a crucial stage of the first set, with Gauff trailing 5-4. She raised her hand and stopped play to object to a flash from an electronic advertising board around the court, just as Sun was preparing to hit a ball that appeared likely to end the point in her favour.
After reviewing the video, the chair umpire ordered the point to be replayed. Gauff won the replayed point, then held serve to level at 5-5 before taking the first set 7-5 and winning the second 6-1. The match lasted one hour and 29 minutes, with the American winning nine of the last 10 games to reach the last 16 for the fourth consecutive year.
Gauff said she noticed the board flashing at the start of the rally but was not sure what she had seen. She then raised her hand when it flashed again, before Sun struck the ball. She added that players are told before matches that they can continue the point and request a review afterwards, and that her opponent would also have been entitled to request a replay had she lost the point because of the same distraction.
Tennis rules allow reviews of outside interference
The Women’s Tennis Association rules allow players to request a video review of a number of discretionary decisions, including claims that a distraction affected play. An external factor outside both players’ control is treated as a hindrance that may require the point to be replayed. Gauff said the situation was unfortunate and outside her control, and that calling her an unfair player for applying the rules was unacceptable.
She added that she apologised to Sun for the incident after the match and that the Chinese player fully understood what had happened. Gauff praised her 16-year-old opponent, describing her as a talented and exceptional player.
She said she did not want to see Sun emotionally affected after the match because she had gone through a similar experience and understood how difficult it was. But she considered the encounter only the beginning of a promising career for the Chinese player, saying she was proud to share the court with her in front of her home crowd. Sun, the US Open junior singles champion, was making her first appearance in the main draw of a WTA tournament after receiving a wildcard.
Before facing Gauff, she defeated Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 7-5, becoming the first player born in 2010 to record a completed win at a tournament in the 1000-level category or higher. The WTA and the tournament organisers in Beijing received requests for comment on the incident.
Digital abuse monitoring covers thousands of accounts
The WTA, working with bodies that govern the sport, uses a system combining artificial intelligence and human analysts to monitor abuse directed at thousands of players and officials across social media.
A total of 35 accounts were also referred to law-enforcement agencies, while 66 per cent of content classified as severe abuse was removed.
