Coco Gauff eliminated from China Open following match controversy

<p>Days after being involved in an on-court controversy and responding to a racial slur on social media, Coco Gauff was eliminated in the round of 16 of the China Open.</p><p>Gauff lost her match on Wednesday to No. 19 Elise Mertens with a score of 6-3, 6-3. During the match, Gauff expressed that she was not in the right state, stating, "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," according to the New York Post. "I’m going to just try to finish the match." </p><p>After the match, Gauff described the events of the previous week as "kind of draining." She said, "I'm not going to lie. I just turn off my phone and move on. There's nothing you can do." </p><p>The defeat came against a player Gauff had previously beaten in all five of their matchups. This occurred shortly after Gauff reported receiving a significant amount of racist comments on social media following a controversial point in the preceding round.</p><p>In that match, Gauff stopped play after electronic advertising boards flickered during a point late in the first set of her 7-5, 6-1 victory over Xinran, a 16-year-old who recently won the U.S. Open junior title. Gauff halted the rally when it appeared Xinran was about to win the point, but the chair umpire ordered the point to be replayed.</p><p>Gauff addressed the situation on social media, responding to a post that included a racial slur. She stated, "hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist. the amount of racist comments/dms I’ve received in the last few hours is insane," and added that she is "not a cheater or a thief." </p><p>Gauff further explained, "It was an unfortunate situation but it is out of my control. The think pieces and calling me unfair is ridiculous when those are the rules. I did not make them, I think it’s weird I’m getting hate for following the rules. Xinran is an incredible talent and player, I apologized for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood." </p><p>In her match against Mertens, Gauff committed 34 unforced errors compared to Mertens’ 11 and had eight double faults to her opponent’s two. Four of Gauff’s double faults occurred when she was broken in the final game of the first set.</p><p><em>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</em></p>