Coco Gauff said she had been left drained by the racist abuse she experienced during the China Open after suffering a shock defeat by Elise Mertens as Iga Swiatek reached the quarter-finals. Mertens snapped her losing streak against Gauff to record her first win in six matches 6-3 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals in Beijing. Gauff's defeat came after she received what she described as an "insane" amount of racist comments on social media following a controversial point in the preceding round.
When trailing 6-3 4-1 to Mertens, Gauff told her box: "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." Earlier, Iga Swiatek broke Iva Jovic's serve twice in the last four games to beat the 18-year-old American 6-1 6-3.
Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, will next play Mertens.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing