Coco Gauff hits out at racist abuse after replayed point in Beijing draws backlash

Coco Gauff said she had received an “insane” amount of racial abuse on social media after the two-time Grand Slam champion beat local teenager Sun Xinran at the China Open on Monday in a match where a replayed point set off an online backlash.

The American won 7-5, 6-1 to reach the fourth round, but was targeted after stopping play during a crucial point in the first set, raising her hand to complain about a flickering advertising board just as Sun was about to put away a winner.

After a video review, the umpire ordered the point to be replayed. Gauff won the replayed point and held serve for 5-5 before cruising to victory against the Chinese 16-year-old.

Gauff, 22, said she had received a barrage of abusive messages on social media after the match.

“You can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff, who is Black, said on X early Tuesday in reply to a post containing a racial slur.

“The amount of racist comments/direct messages I’ve received in the last few hours is insane.

“Lastly, I’m not a cheater or a thief.”

Reuters has contacted the WTA, the governing body of women’s tennis, and…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business