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Gauff falls to Mertens, says abusive comments were 'draining'
Confirmed
In Short: Coco Gauff lost to Elise Mertens at the China Open, citing social media abuse as a factor.
Coco Gauff, the fourth-ranked player, lost to Elise Mertens, the 19th-ranked player, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, in the China Open.
Mertens reached her first quarterfinal at a WTA 1000 event in five years.
Gauff had previously won all five of her matches against Mertens, but this loss marked the first time she had lost to her.
Gauff expressed that the 'insane' amount of racist comments on social media had been draining.
Gauff said, 'I knew it was going to be a very tough match, but I had motivation,' referring to her personal struggles.
Gauff told reporters, 'I think I just didn’t play well,' acknowledging her subpar performance.
Gauff added, 'I mean, obviously a bit disappointing, the result today. I had two good matches. Yeah, I mean, I always enjoy playing here.'
Gauff also noted, 'I think today I was just a bit flat. That’s the main thing. I mean, the two matches that I did play here, or three matches because I guess this one counts, the first two I felt I was a bit more engaged. I thought they were a good level. Today the level was there at some points, I just didn’t sustain it the whole match.'
What this adds
Gauff's social media comments highlight the impact of online abuse on athletes.
The match marked a significant upset in the tournament, with Gauff's record against Mertens now at 5-1.
What's confirmed
- Coco Gauff, the fourth-ranked player, lost to Elise Mertens, the 19th-ranked player, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, in the China Open.
- Mertens reached her first quarterfinal at a WTA 1000 event in five years.
- Gauff had previously won all five of her matches against Mertens, but this loss marked the first time she had lost to her.
- Gauff expressed that the 'insane' amount of racist comments on social media had been draining.
- Gauff said, 'I knew it was going to be a very tough match, but I had motivation,' referring to her personal struggles.
- Gauff told reporters, 'I think I just didn’t play well,' acknowledging her subpar performance.
What's still developing
- Sun appeared about to win the point when Gauff stopped playing.
- "Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist," Gauff, who is Black, said in a reply on X.
- Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion who has struggled at times this year, will next play Mertens.
- From dealing with the abuse away from the court, she is now enduring misery on it with an underwhelming display in a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Elise Mertens in the last-16 of the China Open.
- Added to that, the 2024 champion also lost to the hands of Mertens for the first time in their sixth meeting on court, wrecking that immaculate record against a tricky customer.
- From the off, it was evident that Gauff would not be at her best.
- After Mertens took a 3-1 lead in the early stages, Gauff managed to confirm parity with a break to love.
- Another three games would pass, and Gauff was in trouble.
- Coco Gauff was nowhere near her best levels in the last-16 China Open defeat "There’s nothing you can do" - Gauff speaks after loss Gauff was down in the dumps when reacting to her latest defeat.
- "I can’t see the ball, I feel like I’m going to pass out."