A drained Coco Gauff falls to Elise Mertens at the China Open days after dealing with racist abuse
NBC Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- Coco Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Elise Mertens at the China Open, marking her first defeat against Mertens after five previous wins, and cited having "no energy" during the match.
- Gauff faced a wave of racist comments on social media following a controversial point in her prior match, where she stopped play due to flickering electronic advertising boards, prompting her to deny cheating allegations publicly.
- Following the loss, Gauff withdrew from the upcoming Wuhan Open to rest and recover after a demanding season, as announced by the tournament organizers.
- Elise Mertens reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in five years and dedicated her win to her coach and boyfriend's upcoming birthday, improving her record against top-10 opponents this year.
- The USTA confirmed Gauff will participate in the Billie Jean King Cup playoff against Hungary in November, while Iga Swiatek advanced to face Mertens after defeating Iva Jovic.
