A Difficult 36 Hours Off the Court
Coco Gauff's 2026 China Open ended on a painful note, and not only because of the result on the scoreboard. The 22-year-old American was eliminated from the Beijing tournament on Wednesday by Belgian Elise Mertens, who claimed a commanding 6-3, 6-3 victory to advance to the quarter-finals. It was the first time Mertens had beaten Gauff in six career meetings, and the win arrived at a moment when Gauff was clearly running on empty.
The backdrop to the defeat was deeply troubling. A day earlier, Gauff had beaten 16-year-old Chinese wildcard Sun Xinran in the third round, but a disputed point involving a flickering courtside panel light generated enormous controversy. The chair umpire ordered the point to be replayed, a decision that allowed Gauff to hold serve and ultimately take control of the match. The backlash that followed on social media was swift and ugly. Gauff took to X to respond directly, writing that the volume of racist messages she had received was "insane" and firmly stating she was not a cheater.
Flat Performance, but Bigger Picture in Focus
Speaking to reporters after the loss to Mertens, Gauff was candid about the toll the abuse had taken. She described the past 36 hours as "kind of draining" and said her coping strategy was simply to switch off her phone and focus forward. During the match itself, Gauff was overheard telling her support team she had no energy and could barely track the ball.
She acknowledged her level dropped significantly against Mertens, praising her opponent for making the most of key moments while admitting her own movement and consistency were well below her best. Rest, she said, is now the priority heading into the remainder of the 2026 season. TennisDraw users had heavily backed Gauff to go deep in Beijing, making her early exit one of the bigger upsets on the app this week.
