Nationwide — Coco Gauff said the racist abuse she received online after her previous match had left her feeling drained before she suffered her first career loss to Elise Mertens at the China Open. Mertens defeated the fourth-ranked American 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday, ending Gauff’s run in the tournament and advancing to the quarterfinals.
The loss came two days after Gauff faced heavy criticism online over a controversial moment during her match against China’s Sun Xinran. Late in the first set, electronic advertising boards around the court flickered while the two players were in the middle of a rally. Gauff stopped playing when it appeared Sun was about to win the point. The chair umpire then ordered the point to be replayed, leading to criticism from some viewers.
Gauff later said the criticism went beyond disagreement over the call. She received a large number of racist comments and direct messages, prompting her to respond on X. She said people could dislike her or disagree with what happened without making racist remarks. Gauff also pushed back against accusations that she had cheated or stolen a point. When asked if the abuse had affected her, she said, “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,” according to ESPN.
She then struggled during Wednesday’s match against Mertens. Gauff told her team while trailing 4-1 in the second set that she had “no energy” and felt like she might pass out. She made 34 unforced errors and committed eight double faults, while Mertens had 11 unforced errors and two double faults. Four of Gauff’s double faults came in the final game of the first set, when Mertens broke her serve. Gauff later described herself as “flat” and said she was not moving well or playing at her usual level.
The result ended Gauff’s perfect 5-0 record against Mertens. The Belgian player also reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in five years. She has beaten several top players this season, including Jasmine Paolini at the Italian Open and world No. 1 Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon. Mertens said she knew Gauff would be a difficult opponent but remained focused and dedicated the win to her coach and boyfriend, whose birthday was the following day.
Gauff is now set to get some rest after withdrawing from the upcoming Wuhan Open, where she was the defending champion. The tournament cited her need to recover after a long season. She is still expected to return for the United States in a Billie Jean King Cup playoff against Hungary in Delray Beach, Florida, on Nov. 21-22. Mertens, meanwhile, will meet six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the China Open quarterfinals after Swiatek defeated 18-year-old American Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-3.