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American tennis star Coco Gauff has spoken out against an "insane" wave of racist abuse she said she received online after a disputed video review during her China Open victory over Chinese teenager Sun Xinran in Beijing.
The incident unfolded during Monday's match, when Gauff asked for a video review after noticing flickering LED lights. The request drew boos from some spectators, although the umpire ultimately agreed that the point should be replayed.
"Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist," Gauff wrote on X after the match.
"The amount of racist comments and messages I've received in the last few hours is insane," she added.
Gauff, 22, went on to beat the 16-year-old Sun 7-5, 6-1.
The dispute centered on Gauff's decision to challenge the point because of the flickering lights, with the American later setting out her version of events while responding to a post containing a racial slur that had been flagged as potential "hateful content."
Gauff said she challenged the point before Sun returned the ball after noticing the lights flicker for a second time. She also pointed out that players are instructed that they can challenge points after play has concluded.
"I think it's weird I'm getting hate for following the rules," she said.
Despite the controversy, Gauff praised her Chinese opponent and said there was no dispute between the two players after the match.
"Xinran is an incredible talent and player. I apologised for the situation at the end of the match, and she completely understood," Gauff said.
The episode quickly picked up attention in China. By Tuesday morning, the hashtag "Gauff apologized to Sun Xinran after the match" had reached 4.5 million views and ranked sixth among the top trends on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA), the governing body for the leading professional women's tennis tour, did not immediately respond to AFP.
A similar issue involving flickering panels had come up during Sunday's men's quarterfinal between Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic, when the umpire also agreed to replay a point after Zverev complained about the lights.
Gauff, currently ranked world No. 4 and the 2024 Beijing champion, is due to face Belgium's Elise Mertens in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
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