Coco Gauff Withdraws From Wuhan Open After Racist Abuse and China Open Controversy: “I’ve No Energy, I’m Going to Pass Out”

Coco Gauff‘s campaign at the China Open ended in complete disappointment. Online fans hurled scathing remarks at her for stopping a point that would have been a winner against her 16-year-old Chinese opponent, Sun Xinran, in the third round.

Gauff requested a video review after the board around the court flickered and caused a hindrance, and the umpire eventually called for the points to be replayed. Xinran was seen sitting on the bench, wiping her tears after the incident.

Gauff apologized to Xinran and hit back at the online racist abuse she received, saying she’s not a “cheater” or a “thief” after such accusations. Gauff, as per The New York Post, was heard telling her team, “I have no energy. I’m trying, I have no energy. I can’t see the ball, I feel like I’m going to pass out. I’m going to just try to finish the match,” during her 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Elise Mertens in the fourth round, with some fans noticing she looked “soulless” during the match.

Gauff then announced that due to fatigue, she has pulled out of the Wuhan Open, the final WTA 1000 of the season, which starts on October 12. Gauff is the reigning champion. The two-time Grand Slam singles champion defeated compatriot Jessica Pegula in the final last year.

I’m disappointed to withdraw from Wuhan, especially as the defending champion. I always love playing there. After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover. I look forward to returning next year.

Gauff won the Beijing title in 2024 by beating Karolina Muchova. So far this season, the 22-year-old has played three finals, winning one title. After losing the Miami Open to Aryna Sabalenka and the Italian Open to Elina Svitolina, Gauff ended her title drought in Cincinnati by beating Pegula, winning her first title since the 2025 Wuhan Open.

Coco Gauff admits the racist abuse was draining after her China Open defeat

After the controversy during the Sun Xinran match, Coco Gauff said she had been left drained by the racist abuse. During her match against Elise Mertens, she hit eight double faults and 34 unforced errors.

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. I think today I was just a bit flat. 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 ​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.

Coco Gauff said at the press conference (H/T: The Guardian)

Had Gauff won that match, she would have faced fellow one-time China Open champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. Swiatek is chasing her second title of the season following her win at the Canadian Open, where she defeated World No.1 Elena Rybakina.

The six-time Grand Slam champion leads the head-to-head 2-0 over Mertens. Swiatek won this title back in 2024 on her debut by defeating Liudmila Samsonova. If the Pole reaches the quarterfinals, she will face Elina Svitolina or home favorite Qinwen Zheng in the semifinals.

Both Rybakina and Sabalenka have crashed out of the tournament. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion lost to Nikola Bartunkova in the third round, while the three-time Grand Slam champion suffered an opening-round defeat at the hands of Alina Charaeva.

Also read: Andy Roddick Says Daniil Medvedev ‘Deserved to Be Defaulted’ After Novak Djokovic China Open Match