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Tennis Brief: Gauff calls out online racism after China Open video review; Sinner sidelined for season with knee injury

Tennis Brief: Gauff calls out online racism after China Open video review; Sinner sidelined for season with knee injury

Coco Gauff calls out online racism; Sinner sidelined for season with knee injury Photograph: (AFP)

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Coco Gauff decries online racist abuse following her China Open match, while World No. 1 Jannik Sinner ends his 2026 season due to a knee injury.

American tennis star Coco Gauff said on Tuesday that she faced an ‘insane’ amount of online racist abuse after defeating Chinese teenager Sun Xinran in a match that included a video review. During Monday's China Open match against 16-year-old Sun Xinran in Beijing, the former US Open champion requested a video review over flickering LED lights, prompting some boos from the crowd.

"Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist," Gauff wrote on X. "The amount of racist comments and messages I've received in the last few hours is insane," her post read.

The umpire agreed for the point to be replayed, and 22-year-old Gauff went on to win the match 7-5, 6-1. Responding on X to a post containing a racial slur that was flagged as potential ‘hateful content’, the Black American player clarified in a separate post that she challenged the point before Sun's return when she noticed the lights flicker a second time.

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"I think it's weird I'm getting hate for following the rules," she said, explaining that players are instructed they can challenge points after play has concluded. "Xinran is an incredible talent and player. I apologised for the situation at the end of the match, and she completely understood," she added.

By Tuesday morning, the hashtag ‘Gauff apologised to Sun Xinran after the match’ had hit 4.5 million views, ranking as the sixth top trend on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

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Sinner’s season is over

Tennis world number one Jannik Sinner has brought a premature end to his season due to a knee injury, the Italian announced on Tuesday.

"Me, together with the doctors, have decided that I need a course of treatment for my knee, which means that the 2026 season is officially over," Sinner said in a video posted on social media.

The 25-year-old's announcement came just over a month before he was due to defend his crown at the ATP Finals in Turin. Sinner had finished the previous two seasons on a high by winning in Turin, leading to "so many beautiful feelings and emotions", he said.

"This year is going to be way different," he acknowledged. "But at the moment, I also need to think about my long-term career."

He has had an impressive, if injury-hit season, winning Wimbledon in July and five Masters 1000 events. He has won all six finals he has played in this year. The Italian's 94 per cent winning record in 2026 is the best of his career, even beating his figures from the previous two seasons in each of which he won two Grand Slams and the ATP Finals.

A statement from Sinner's management team said that he would "follow a course of treatment for inflammation in his knee", which would help him "to recover before beginning preparations for 2027".

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