Gauff exits China Open and withdraws from Wuhan

Coco Gauff lost to Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-3 in the China Open last 16 on Wednesday, then withdrew from the Wuhan Open, saying she needed time to rest and recover after a long year. The American also said racist comments and direct messages she received online after a disputed point in her previous match had made the past few days draining, though she did not blame the loss entirely on the abuse. Gauff said the messages followed her Monday victory over Sun Xinran, a 16-year-old Chinese player. Late in the first set, Gauff stopped play after saying flickering advertising boards had distracted her. The chair umpire ordered the point replayed, and Gauff won it before going on to take the match in straight sets. Gauff described the volume of racist messages as “insane” and said she had turned off her phone and tried to move on. She also said people could disagree with her without using racist language. The number and content of the messages have not been independently quantified in the available reports. The Women’s Tennis Association said it was appalled by the racial abuse directed at Gauff and was in contact with her to offer support.