Coco Gauff was beaten 6 to 3, 6 to 3 by Elise Mertens in the China Open fourth round on Wednesday, days after describing the volume of racist messages she had received online as insane.
What did she say about the abuse?
That it has been draining. Coco Gauff said she turns her phone off and moves on, and that there is nothing else to be done. Earlier in the week she posted that people could dislike her or disagree with what happened without being racist, said the quantity of racist comments and direct messages she had received within hours was extraordinary, and stated that she is not a cheater or a thief.
What prompted it?
A disputed point in her previous match. Late in the first set against home player Sun Xinran, electronic advertising boards around the court flickered during a rally and Gauff stopped playing. Her opponent appeared to be about to win the point. The chair umpire ordered it replayed.
Is that an unusual call?
Not especially. Players stop for distractions and umpires decide whether the interruption was legitimate, with a replay being the standard remedy when it was. The decision belonged to the official rather than to either player, which is worth stating given what followed.
How did she explain the loss?
Separately from all of it. She said she was flat, did not play well, was not moving well and that a number of things went wrong. She dropped serve four times, hit eight double faults and made 34 unforced errors. She did not attribute the defeat to the abuse, and this piece does not either.
How significant was the result?
She had beaten Mertens in all five previous meetings. The 19th ranked Belgian reached her first quarterfinal at this level in five years and has now beaten three top ten opponents this season, including the defending champion in Rome and the current world number one at Wimbledon, where she also reached the last eight. Mertens dedicated the win to her coach and partner ahead of his birthday.
Who does Mertens play next?
Iga Swiatek, who beat 18 year old American Iva Jovic 6 to 1, 6 to 3, breaking twice in the final four games.
What is the broader pattern?
Abuse directed at players after contested moments has become routine across tennis, with governing bodies introducing monitoring tools in response. What Coco Gauff described is specific in kind rather than general, and she identified it as racist rather than as abuse in the abstract. That distinction is hers and it should be reported as she made it.
What happens now?
She leaves Beijing with the season’s closing events ahead. She has said she handles this by switching off her phone, which is the only mechanism available to a player and not much of one.
