World No. 4 Coco Gauff made an early exit from the China Open, falling to Elise Mertens 3-6, 3-6 in the Round of 16. The loss came in the aftermath of Gauff receiving an 'insane' amount of racist comments on social media following a controversial point in her previous match.
Despite her efforts to maintain focus on the court, Gauff acknowledged that the psychological toll of the persistent online harassment weighed heavily on her, impacting her performance against Mertens.
"It has been kind of draining, I'm not going to lie," Gauff admitted to reporters. "I just turn off my phone and move on. There's nothing you can do."
The controversy originated during Gauff’s previous third-round match against Chinese rising star Sun Xinran. With Xinran on the
verge of winning a crucial point, play was halted due to a flickering electronic advertising board that distracted Gauff.
The chair umpire ruled the point should be replayed, sparking a surge of online abuse targeting Gauff. Gauff regrouped to win the next three points, eventually sealing the match 7-5, 6-1.
Against Mertens, a player Gauff had beaten five times in a row, the 22-year-old struggled with consistency, committing 34 unforced errors. The victory marked a significant milestone for Mertens, who improved to 3-3 against top-10 opponents this season and reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since the Madrid Open in 2021.
"I think today I was just a bit flat," Gauff reflected after the match. "I just didn't play well. I think I wasn't moving well. There were a lot of things I didn't do well."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coco Gauff says online harassment was 'draining' after China Open loss
