Coco Gauff received abuse on social media after an incident in her third-round win at the China Open.
During Gauff’s 7-5, 6-1 win over Xinran Sun, the American called for a video review, claiming she was distracted by the flashing LED screens at the side of the court. The umpire ordered Gauff and Sun to replay the point, which Gauff won. Sun had been competitive until then, but momentum swung in Gauff’s favour, and she defeated her 16-year-old opponent in straight sets.
After the match, fans flooded Gauff’s social media pages, attacking her for the incident. Gauff was racially abused by many, but the WTA Tour didn’t speak out to defend her. Serena Williams’ coach, Rennae Stubbs, has now criticised the WTA Tour for staying silent.
Rennae Stubbs says it’s ‘bad’ that the WTA Tour didn’t put out statement to defend Coco Gauff
“There were a lot of people on the internet saying that the WTA didn’t stand up for her, and there were a lot of people who didn’t stand up for her. I would argue that they are correct in saying that. I am going to get in trouble again! I would argue that the fact that the WTA did not put out anything publicly is bad,” she said during the latest episode of ‘The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast‘.
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“The WNBA took a couple of days to say something about some racist stuff and things that were happening, but they did it eventually. They put it out to say, ‘You are our fans, and we don’t want this happening.”
Stubbs continued, delivering her verdict on Gauff’s withdrawal from the Wuhan Open, which followed the abuse she received during the China Open.
“For me, I just think you have got to stand on your leadership and stand up for your players. The fact that she pulled out of Wuhan, a tournament she won last year, and those fans wanted to see her again, and now won’t get a chance to see her this year because she has had enough. She has gone home and said I am going to come back and play the WTA Finals, and that is going to be my last tournament of the year,” she said.
“Good for Coco to do that. I can tell you, and I have seen it, but when you get to the end of the year, you have had enough, and your fuse is short. For Coco, we support you, we love you, we know what kind of a person you are.”
As Stubbs mentioned, Gauff won’t play again until the WTA Finals next month. The American will travel to Indian Wells, looking to win her second title at the year-end championships.
Who will Coco Gauff play at the WTA Finals?
Gauff is one of six women to have already qualified for the WTA Finals. Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, and Linda Noskova will join her in Indian Wells.
WTA Finals Race
| Rank | Player | Country | Points | Status |
| 1 | Elena Rybakina | Kazakhstan | 7,502 | Qualified |
| 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | Belarus | 6,560 | Qualified |
| 3 | Mirra Andreeva | Russia | 6,371 | Qualified |
| 4 | Jessica Pegula | USA | 5,835 | Qualified |
| 5 | Coco Gauff | USA | 5,774 | Qualified |
| 6 | Elina Svitolina | Ukraine | 5,024 | Currently qualifying |
| 7 | Karolina Muchova | Czechia | 4,625 | Currently qualifying |
| 8 | Linda Noskova | Czechia | 4,354 | Qualified |
| 9 | Marta Kostyuk | Ukraine | 3,920 | Not currently qualifying |
| 10 | Iga Swiatek | Poland | 3,809 | Not currently qualifying |
| 11 | Iva Jovic | USA | 2,841 | Not currently qualifying |
| 12 | Elise Mertens | Belgium | 2,540 | Not currently qualifying |
| 13 | Diana Shnaider | Russia | 2,463 | Can’t qualify |
| 14 | Victoria Mboko | Canada | 2,393 | Can’t qualify |
| 15 | Sorana Cirstea | Romania | 2,380 | Can’t qualify |
Two of Elina Svitolina, Karolina Muchova, Marta Kostyuk, Iga Swiatek, Iva Jovic, and Elise Mertens will complete the eight-woman line-up at the 2026 WTA Finals.
Gauff won the 2024 WTA Finals, the first time the event was hosted in Saudi Arabia, defeating Qinwen Zheng in the final, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6. Only time will tell if she can double her tally in 2026.
Coco Gauff’s WTA Finals record
- 2018 – Did not qualify
- 2019 – Did not qualify
- 2020 – Not held
- 2021 – Did not qualify
- 2022 – Round Robin
- 2023 – Semi-finals
- 2024 – Champion
- 2025 – Round Robin
This year’s WTA Finals begin on Saturday, November 7. The championship match will be played a week later, on Saturday, November 14.
