Coco Gauff opened up about the emotional toll that the flood of racist messages on social media took on her after a surprising defeat to Belgium's Elise Mertens at the China Open, a tournament in which Iga Swiatek also advanced to the quarter‑finals. Mertens halted Gauff's recent slide by snapping a six‑match losing streak with a straight‑sets victory, 6‑3, 6‑3, propelling the Belgian into the Beijing quarter‑finals on Wednesday. The win came after a turbulent previous round for Gauff, during which she was bombarded with what she called an "insane" volume of racist remarks following a contentious point.
Trailing 6‑3, 4‑1 in the match, Gauff confided to her team, "I have no energy. I'm trying, I have no energy. I can't see the ball, I feel like I'm going to pass out. I'm just going to try to finish the match." Her words reflected the physical and mental fatigue that had set in, a fatigue that was compounded by the online abuse she was receiving.
The controversy began in her earlier encounter with 16‑year‑old Chinese hopeful Sun Xinran. With the first set hanging at 4‑5, Gauff was serving to stay in the set when Sun appeared to have hit a winner. However, the American raised her hand, signalling that she had seen a flickering light on the side panels of the court and wanted the point stopped.
The chair umpire obliged and ordered a replay. Gauff then won three consecutive points to bring the set to 5‑5, eventually losing the match by just one more game.
When reporters in Beijing asked whether the barrage of hateful comments had affected her performance, Gauff answered candidly: "It has been kind of draining, I'm not going to lie. I just turn off my phone and move on.
There's nothing you can do. I think today I was just a bit flat. I just didn't play well. I think I wasn't moving well.
There were a lot of things I didn't do well." She later addressed the incident on the platform X, explaining, "It was an unfortunate situation but it is out of my control. Xinran is an incredible talent and player; I apologized for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood." In response to a blatantly racist reply to her post, Gauff wrote, "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." The 22‑year‑old, who entered the tournament as the defending Beijing champion, delivered a sub‑par performance, committing 34 unforced errors. Mertens, meanwhile, displayed poise, winning 10 of her last 11 service points and sealing the match with a second ace.
After the win, Mertens praised her opponent, saying, "She's an incredible player, of course. I knew it was going to be a very tough match. But I had motivation.
My coach/boyfriend, it's his birthday tomorrow, so this win is dedicated to him and all the work we do." On the same day, Iga Swiatek dismantled 18‑year‑old American Iva Jovic 6‑1, 6‑3, breaking Jovic's serve twice in the final four games. The six‑time Grand Slam champion, who has faced some inconsistency this season, will meet Mertens in the next round. Swiatek reflected on her form, noting, "For sure today I was using more of the chances that I got. I was more proactive, maybe changing the directions more instead of just being solid, more intense.
When I needed that, I could play long rallies and be in defence as well. Everything was working today.
I feel like my game has improved." She added, "Obviously sometimes playing the tournament is a bit tricky. Not everything is depending on you.
I believe what I'm doing makes sense moving forward. That gives me the most confidence. When you have great results on a match, it's always a good boost of confidence. But tennis is tough.
You need to be ready for every match. Your previous results are not going to give you anything.
I'm going to push no matter what and we'll see how it goes." Gauff's experience highlights a growing concern in professional sport: the impact of digital harassment on athletes' mental health. While she tried to shield herself by turning off her phone, the sheer volume of hateful messages underscores the need for stronger platform moderation and support systems for players who are thrust into the spotlight. The incident also sparked conversations among fellow players and officials about how to better protect competitors from online abuse, especially during high‑stakes tournaments where emotions run high.
The China Open continues to draw global attention, with live coverage available on NOW and the Sky Sports app. Fans can watch both the WTA and ATP events, including the upcoming Shanghai Masters, as the tennis calendar moves toward the season‑ending championships.