Coco Gauff admitted she had been emotionally drained by a wave of racist abuse online after her China Open campaign ended with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Elise Mertens on Wednesday.
The American third seed had been targeted on social media following her controversial fourth-round win over 16-year-old Chinese player Sun Xinran. Gauff stopped a point late in the opening set after noticing a flickering light around the court, prompting the umpire to order the point to be replayed.
Gauff went on to win the match 7-5, 6-1, but the incident sparked a backlash online. The 22-year-old later called out the racist messages and direct messages she received, while insisting that she had stopped the point before Sun had returned the ball.
Asked whether the abuse had affected her ahead of her match against Mertens, Gauff admitted the experience had taken a toll.
"It has been kind of draining, I'm not going to lie," she said. "I just turn off my phone and move on. There's nothing you can do."
Gauff struggled to find her best tennis against Mertens, committing 34 unforced errors and eight double faults as the Belgian secured her first victory over Gauff in six meetings.
The American also appeared to be feeling the effects physically during the match. While trailing 6-3, 4-1, she told her team that she had no energy and felt as though she might pass out.
Despite the difficult few days, Gauff did not blame the defeat entirely on the online abuse.
"I think today I was just a bit flat. I just didn't play well. I think I wasn't moving well. There were a lot of things I didn't do well," she said.
Mertens, who had previously lost all five of her meetings with Gauff, held her nerve to close out the upset and reach the China Open quarter-finals. She will next face Iga Swiatek, who defeated American teenager Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-3.
The defeat also brought an early end to Gauff's stay in Beijing, and she later withdrew from next week's Wuhan Open, where she was due to defend her title.
Gauff said she was disappointed to miss the tournament but felt her body needed time to recover after a long season. She is expected to return to action for the United States at the Billie Jean King Cup in November.
