Coco Gauff admitted feeling drained after losing to Elise Mertens at the China Open, her first defeat in six meetings. The fourth-ranked American cited a flood of racist comments on social media following a controversial point in the prior round. Gauff stopped play when advertising boards flickered during a rally against Sun Xinran, later replying on X that the abuse was "insane." Against Mertens, Gauff committed 34 unforced errors and four double faults, admitting she was "flat" and wasn't moving well. Mertens reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in five years, dedicating the win to her coach/boyfriend's birthday. Iga Swiatek also advanced, beating old rival Iva Jovic. Swiatek will next face Mertens in the quarterfinals.
Mertens improved to 3-3 against top-10 opponents this year, having previously beaten Jasmine Paolini at the Italian Open and Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon. The Associated Press and PA contributed to the report.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing