Coco Gauff felt like she was going to ‘pass out’ during shock defeat at China Open
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Coco Gauff said she felt like she was going to faint during a surprise defeat at the China Open, bringing an end to a difficult week for the American after she was subjected to racist online abuse.
Gauff, the 2024 champion, had not lost to Elise Mertens in their five previous meetings but lost 6-3 6-3 in the fourth round in Beijing, her first straight-set defeat since February.
Gauff notched 34 unforced errors including eight double faults, four in the last game of the first set, and looked flat throughout, losing six games in succession to hand the initiative to Mertens.
At 6-3 4-1 down the 22-year-old told her support 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.”
The live broadcast did not pick up whether any of her team responded, and Gauff lost the next four games in a row to hand Mertens a 10th career win over a top-five opponent and second of 2026.
The 13th seed will face eighth seed and 2023 champion Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals, while Gauff will next play at another WTA 1000 event in Wuhan, where she is the reigning champion.
Gauff said after the match that the past couple of days had been “kind of draining” for her after she was subjected to racial slurs following her win over home hopeful Sun Xinran in the previous round.
The American triumphed 7-5 6-1 over the 16-year-old but was attacked online for stopping a point mid-rally late in the first set, explaining that she had been distracted by flickering lights on an advertising board mid-shot and stopped due to the hindrance.
She posted an explanation for the call in the early hours of Tuesday morning along with a direct response to an account directing a racial slur against her, writing: “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 said after losing to Mertens: “I just turn off my phone and move on. I mean, there’s nothing you can do.”
