Coco Gauff defended herself on social media following intense backlash and racist abuse over a disputed point during her second-round win against 16-year-old Sun Xinran at the China Open in Beijing. The American tennis star stopped play during the first set due to flashing stadium lights, sparking fierce online debate over whether she manipulated tournament rules.
The Disputed Point in Beijing
The controversy unfolded at 5-5 in the first set during Gauff’s service game at 15-15. Gauff halted play midway through a rally because perimeter LED advertising boards flickered in her peripheral vision. Under tournament regulations regarding lighting distractions, players are permitted to stop play and request a point replay if visual interference impacts their focus.
Critics on social media pointed out that Gauff stopped the rally only after she had already hit a volley that appeared to give her opponent the advantage in the point. The incident drew immediate comparisons to a similar ruling involving Alexander Zverev during his match against Novak Djokovic, where a point was replayed due to flickering scoreboard lights.
Online Backlash and Racist Abuse
The online reaction quickly escalated beyond tactical criticism into targeted harassment. Gauff took to X, formerly Twitter, to address users who crossed the line into personal attacks and racial slurs.
Hola to everyone: you can dislike me or disagree with what happened without being racist,
Gauff wrote on her official X account in response to abusive messages. The amount of racist comments and direct messages I’ve received in the last few hours is crazy. Lastly, I am not a cheater nor a thief.
Gauff Defends Adherence to Officiating Guidelines
Following the match, Gauff issued a detailed statement breaking down the sequence of events and defending her adherence to the tournament’s officiating guidelines. She clarified that players are instructed to finish the immediate stroke sequence before bringing any environmental distraction to the chair umpire’s attention.
I saw the light flicker at the beginning of the point, but I wasn’t sure if I actually saw that,
Gauff explained in her statement. Before matches, they tell us we are allowed to continue playing until the point ends, so keep this in mind: I am thinking about all of this while I am playing the point. Anything can be contested once the point is over.
Gauff added that her opponent would have enjoyed the exact same right to contest the distraction had the roles been reversed. She also addressed Sun Xinran directly, praising the teenage wildcard’s talent and confirming that she apologized for the awkward circumstances after shaking hands at the net.
It was an unfortunate situation, but it is out of my control,
Gauff stated. Articles and comments calling me unfair are ridiculous when those are the rules. I didn’t make them. Xinran has incredible talent and is a great player. I apologized for the situation at the end of the match and she understood completely.
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