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Coco Gauff publicly pushed back after receiving racist messages online following a disputed moment in her China Open victory over 16-year-old Sun Xinran. The match episode—centering on a flickering advertising board—triggered a video review and heated reaction on social media.
How the play unfolded
Gauff beat Sun 7–5, 6–1 to reach the tournament’s fourth round, but attention focused on a first-set rally when Gauff appeared to stop mid-point and signal the chair umpire. Sun continued and hit a winner that, if allowed to stand, would have put her two points from the opening set.
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After a video review the chair umpire determined the flashing lights from stadium advertising had impeded Gauff and ordered the point replayed. Gauff won the replayed point, held serve to level at 5–5, then took the first set and closed out the match. Sun, the recent U.S. Open junior champion, nonetheless drew praise for an impressive WTA debut and became the youngest player to win multiple main-draw matches at the China Open since 2004.
Gauff’s social posts and the backlash
On X, Gauff addressed the online reaction directly: “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.”
She also posted a longer explanation on Threads, describing what she saw on court and why she signaled for a stoppage. In that post she wrote:
“Hi everyone- let me explain
1. I saw it flicker in the beginning of the point but was not sure if that is what i actually saw …
when it flickered again I raised my hands before she hit her shot because this is when I was sure I saw the light flicker and it wasn’t my mind doing tricks lol (which again doesn’t matter because anything can be challenged after the point)”
She continued: “… It was an an unfortunate situation but it is out of my control, the think pieces and calling me an unfair is ridiculous when those are the rules. I did not make them, I think it’s weird i’m getting hate for following the rules. Xinran is incredible talent and player, I apologized for the situation at the end ofthe match and she completely understood.”
Rulebook, reaction and what comes next
The umpire’s decision referenced the WTA rulebook, which — per James Hansen of The Athletic — 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.”
Supporters posted clips online that appeared to show Gauff raising her hand after lights flickered, a detail not fully visible in the broadcast review. The episode quickly spilled into social media debate and, according to Gauff, into racist abuse directed at her.
Gauff now prepares for a round-of-16 meeting with Belgium’s Elise Mertens as the tournament continues. The match and its aftermath underscore how in-match incidents can spark broader conversations off court, especially on social platforms.
