Gauff says online racist abuse at China Open left her 'draining' after Mertens defeat

Coco Gauff said she felt "draining" after receiving racist messages online following her last-16 loss to Elise Mertens at the China Open in Beijing on Wednesday. The American made the comments after being defeated 6-3, 6-3.

The reaction followed an earlier incident in the tournament when Gauff raised her hand to stop a point in her match against Chinese teenager Sun Xinran after noticing flickering lights on the stadium advertising hoardings; Sun thought she had hit a winner late in the first set and some members of the crowd booed before the umpire ordered the point replayed and Gauff went on to win 7-5, 6-1. On social media Gauff criticised the "insane" amount of racist messages she had received and added: "I'm not a cheater or a thief." She also said she challenged the point before Sun had returned the ball, after noticing the lights flicker for a second time. A spokesperson for the Women’s Tennis Association said it was "appalled by the racial abuse directed at Coco Gauff and are in contact with her to offer our full support".

Gauff acknowledged she was not at her best against Mertens, saying she was "a bit flat" and struggled physically during the match. Statistically she produced eight double faults and 34 unforced errors as she was beaten in straight sets.

During and after the match Gauff described the personal impact of the abuse and her condition on court, telling reporters: "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." She also told her team she had "no energy" and felt as though she might pass out.

Reflecting on her play, Gauff said: "I think I just didn't play well. I think I wasn't moving well. There were a lot of things I didn't do well. I thought Elise played well on the big points, made me play a big ball, yeah." Gauff, who has an excellent record in China, attributed the loss to those lapses in performance rather than the contested incident earlier in the week.

Mertens will face eighth seed Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals after the No 8 seed defeated American Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-3.