Coco Gauff said she was subjected to an "insane” amount of racial abuse on social media after the two-time Grand Slam champion defeated Chinese teenager Sun Xinran at the China Open on Monday.
Gauff advanced to the fourth round with a 7-5, 6-1 victory but faced a wave of online backlash after a controversial incident during the opening set.
With Sun poised to hit a winner at a crucial moment, Gauff stopped play and raised her hand to complain about a flickering advertising board. After reviewing the incident, the chair umpire ruled that the point should be replayed.
Gauff won the replayed point and held serve to level the set at 5-5 before taking control of the match against the 16-year-old and winning the next six games.
Gauff, 22, said she received a barrage of abusive messages on social media after the match.
"You can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff, who is Black, said on X early Tuesday in reply to a post containing a racial slur.
"The amount of racist comments/direct messages I’ve received in the last few hours is insane.
"Lastly, I’m not a cheater or a thief.”
Reuters has contacted the WTA and tournament organizers in Beijing for comment.
The WTA has made efforts to tackle online abuse by introducing an AI-powered system that monitors thousands of players and officials on social media.
A study by the WTA and World Tennis showed players were subjected to more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages on social media in 2025, up from 8,000 a year earlier.
Gauff also explained that she was following the rules when she challenged the point. Players are allowed to request video reviews of select judgment calls, including claims that a distraction may have interfered with play.
The American said she had spoken to Sun about the point at the end of the match.
"Xinran’s an incredible talent and player. I apologized for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood,” she wrote.
"I didn’t like to see her so emotional as I’ve been there and I really understand what it’s like, but this is the beginning of an incredible career. It was an honor to share the court in front of her home crowd.”