World-renowned Tennis player Coco Gauff has been receiving racist abuse on social media platforms after a controversial point during her China Open 2026 match against home player Sun Xinran.
Late in the first set, Coco stopped a rally after the electronic boards lining the court suddenly flickered, causing a distraction. When play stopped, it appeared that Sun was about to win the point. However, when the point was replayed, Coco won it to level the first set at 5-5 and later won the match 7-5, 6-1.
Image Credit: Reuters
What Happened During The Rally?
During the match on October 5, with the score at 15-all in the 10th game, Coco raised her hand after hitting a weak volley. The electronic LED advertising panels surrounding the court immediately flickered and flashed. Distracted by the lights, Coco stopped the rally. The chair umpire then ruled that the point had to be replayed.
When play stopped, Sun appeared to have won the point. But when it was replayed, Coco hit a forehand winner, helping her level the set at 5-5. Sun was left distraught after the loss. The 16-year-old, who recently won the US Open Junior title, had received a wild-card entry from the tournament organisers, making her WTA Tour debut.
Coco Spoke Against Racial Slurs
The incident, however, triggered massive online backlash. Through no fault of her own, Coco received a wave of racial abuse online from people who thought Sun should have won the point. In a reply on X, she 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.”
Sympathising with Sun, she wrote in another post, “Xinran is an incredible talent and player. I apologised for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood.”
Image Credit: Reuters
Who Is Coco Gauff?
Coco Gauff is an American tennis player who rose to fame after her famous 2019 Wimbledon win against Venus Williams. She was just 15 years old at the time. With her athleticism and powerful baseline play, she reached a career-high ranking of World No. 2 in singles and No. 1 in doubles.
She has won 12 WTA titles, including the prestigious 2023 US Open and the 2025 French Open. Currently, she is ranked No. 4 in the official PIF WTA Singles Rankings with 7,244 points.