Coco Gauff, who had a 5-0 record against her latest opponent, appeared to struggle significantly on the court, reflecting a challenging few days. The American tennis player lost to Elise Mertens, ranked No. 19, with a score of 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the China Open. By the latter games, it was evident that she was unable to find her rhythm, and she also seemed to be feeling unwell physically.
During the match, Gauff expressed her difficulties to her team, saying, “I have no energy. I’m trying, but I can’t see the ball. I feel like I’m going to pass out. I’m just going to try to finish the match.”
This defeat followed a controversial third-round victory over 16-year-old Sun Xinran, where Gauff faced an overwhelming amount of racist comments on social media, which she described as “insane.”
Following her loss, the world No. 4 acknowledged the toll it had taken on her. “It has been kind of draining, I’m not going to lie,” she told the press. “I just turn off my phone and move on. There’s nothing you can do.”
Her performance reflected her struggles—she dropped serve four times, made eight double faults, and committed 34 unforced errors.
In her previous match, Gauff had halted play due to distractions caused by electronic advertising boards going off mid-rally. She had been close to losing the point when the chair umpire decided to restart it.
Late at night on Tuesday, Gauff defended her choice on social media, stating it was justifiable to stop play for a potential interruption caused by the boards changing. She followed up with another post mentioning the backlash: “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. Lastly, I’m not a cheater or a thief.”
Gauff’s exit from the China Open marked her first straight-sets loss since February, while Mertens advanced to her first quarterfinal at a WTA 1000 event in five years.
Mertens acknowledged Gauff’s talent, saying, “She’s an incredible player, of course. I knew it was going to be a very tough match. But I had motivation. My coach/boyfriend, it’s his birthday tomorrow, so this win is dedicated to him and all the work we do.”
Mertens is set to face six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the upcoming round.
