Coco Gauff opened up about the emotional toll that the wave of racist messages took on her after she suffered a surprising defeat to Elise Mertens at the China Open, an event that unfolded while Iga Swiatek was advancing to the quarter‑finals. Mertens snapped a six‑match losing streak against the American by winning 6-3, 6-3, securing her spot in the Beijing quarter‑finals on Wednesday. The loss came on the heels of what Gauff described as an "insane" flood of racist comments on social media that followed a contentious point in the previous round. While trailing 6-3, 4-1, Gauff confessed 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 both physical fatigue and the mental strain of dealing with hateful online abuse.
The controversy began during her earlier match against 16‑year‑old Chinese hopeful Sun Xinran on Tuesday. Gauff was serving to stay in the first set at 4‑5 when Sun believed she had struck a winner, but a flickering light on the side panels prompted Gauff to raise her hand and request a pause. The chair umpire ordered the point to be replayed.
Gauff then captured the next three points, leveling the set at 5‑5, before eventually conceding the match after dropping one more game. When reporters in Beijing asked whether the barrage of racist messages 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 situation on the social media platform X, explaining, "It was an unfortunate situation but it is out of my control. Xinran is incredible talent and player, I apologised for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood." Gauff also responded to a racist reply to her post, stating, "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." Statistically, the match was a difficult one for Gauff.
She accumulated 34 unforced errors, while Mertens held 10 of her last 11 service points and closed 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." Following the China Open, Gauff withdrew from the Wuhan Masters 1000, citing fatigue and the need for recovery after a grueling season.
In a statement she expressed disappointment, noting, "I'm disappointed to withdraw from Wuhan, especially as the defending champion. I always love playing there. After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover.
I look forward to returning next year." Gauff remains a key figure for the United States in the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup ties scheduled for November 21‑22 in Delray Beach, where the American team will face Hungary. Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek continued her strong run, dispatching 18‑year‑old American Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-3 after breaking Jovic's serve twice in the final four games.
Swiatek, a six‑time Grand Slam champion who has faced occasional dips in form this year, will next meet Mertens. Reflecting on her performance, Swiatek said, "I was using more of the chances that I got. I was more proactive, changing directions more instead of just being solid.
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, "For sure 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." In other news from the Asian swing, British No. 1 Arthur Fery secured a notable victory over former Grand Slam champion Marin Cilic at the Shanghai Masters, winning 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 and earning a second‑round matchup against Karen Khachanov.
Fans can stream the ongoing tournaments via NOW or the Sky Sports app, with live coverage available for both the WTA China Open and the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters.