'Draining' few days for Gauff after online racist abuse

Coco Gauff described the aftermath of racist online abuse as "draining" and said it had left her feeling exhausted over the past few days. The 22‑year‑old American detailed the harassment after her third‑round victory over China’s Sun Xinran at the China Open on Monday, where she had to halt play because of a flickering light in the side panels; a video review upheld the point and she went on to win the match. Gauff later posted a lengthy statement condemning the torrent of racist remarks she received, which she described as an "insane" magnitude of racist comments. Asked how she had felt over the previous 36 hours, she replied: "It has been benignant of draining, I'm not going to lie. I conscionable crook disconnected my telephone and determination on. I mean, there's thing you tin do." The Women’s Tennis Association said it was appalled by the abuse and was in contact with Gauff "to connection our afloat support." An AFP report quoted the governing body as saying it was 'seeking action' against the offending content. On Wednesday, Gauff fell 6‑3, 6‑3 to Elise Mertens in the fourth round, committing 34 unforced errors and eight double faults. She admitted she lacked consistency: "I was just a spot flat. That's the main thing," she said. "The level was there at some points, I just didn't sustain it the full match." Mertens will now face world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarter‑finals after Swiatek defeated American teen Iva Jovic 6‑1, 6‑3. Read the full story at BBC News →