Coco Gauff sparks China Open controversy after Novak Djokovic slams ‘stupid’ rule
Coco Gauff was at the centre of a debated video review at the China Open during her straight-sets win over Chinese teenager Xinran Sun.
The 16-year-old, who won the US Open girls’ singles title last month, was not overawed by the occasion and even led 5-4 in a topsy-turvy opening set.
In the next game at 15-15, Gauff came into the net and just before Sun looked set to win the point, the third seed stopped play to complain about the changing LED boards on either side of the court.
@tmlfcc @slice_szn They didn’t show this on the broadcast review, Coco put her hands up immediately after they flickered, so maybe she didn’t even see the earlier flickers https://t.co/8FBESLhw31
— ♥️ (@VenusGauff) October 5, 2026
After a video review, the umpire concurred with the American, who went on to hold serve, then break the youngster, and claim the first set 7-5.
During the changeover at 6-5, though, an emotional Sun appeared to cry. She would go on to win just one more game as Gauff closed out a 7-5, 6-1 victory on Monday to reach the last 16 of the WTA 1000 event.
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However, some tennis fans believe that Sun, who earned creditable wins over Eva Lys and 27th seed Cristina Bucsa to reach the third round, was hard done by as Gauff stopped just before it looked like she would lose the point.
While Gauff was within her rights to review the situation under the WTA Tour rules, just as Alexander Zverev was in his quarter-final loss to Novak Djokovic on Sunday, many feel this was unfair on Sun.
When it was put to Djokovic that the point he thought he won was to be replayed, he said to chair umpire Adel Nour, “This must be one of the most stupid change of rules that I’ve heard in my life.”
On the Gauff incident, one person tweeted, “Gauff is absolutely shameless for challenging this point,” and one of the commentators asked why the two-time major winner didn’t stop right away.
Another person wrote on X that Sun was “robbed” and that the flickering LED boards affected both players equally, but it was Gauff that stopped the point.
Conversely, many argued that Gauff is one of the fairest and most sportsmanlike players in tennis and that cheating isn’t really in her nature.
One person wrote, “Coco’s so unproblematic that haters are grasping at the idea that requesting a review whose outcome is out of her hands makes her a cheater. BORING.”
Another put, “It’s not cheating because it’s in the official WTA Rulebook. Had the chair umpire noticed it herself, she would’ve called it. Coco only contested it. It went to video review and confirmed it. It would’ve been cheating if it was never pointed out.”
This is unlikely to be the last time a player complains about this rule.
READ MORE: Novak Djokovic says how he really feels about Daniil Medvedev’s China Open disqualification
