Coco Gauff withdraws from Wuhan Open after Beijing exit

Coco Gauff of the United States leaves the court after losing against Elise Mertens of Belgium in the fourth round of the women’s singles match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

BEIJING–Coco Gauff withdrew from next week’s Wuhan Open on Wednesday, hours after the American world No. 4 lost to Elise Mertens at the China Open.

The tournament said Gauff, the 2025 champion, cited “fatigue” in pulling out of the prestigious WTA 1000-level tournament.

READ: Coco Gauff says online abuse was ‘draining’ after China Open exit

“I’m disappointed to withdraw from Wuhan, especially as the defending champion. I always love playing there,” Gauff said in a statement shared by the tournament on Instagram.

“After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover. I look forward to returning next year,” Gauff said.

The Wuhan Open runs from October 12 to 18 in China’s central Hubei province.

READ: Coco Gauff calls out online racism after China Open video review

In Beijing, Gauff double-faulted eight times and went down 6-3, 6-3 to Mertens in the fourth round.

Gauff, 22, was playing a day after calling out the “insane” amount of abuse she received online following her win over Chinese teenager Sun Xinran in the previous round.

She had responded to a post on X that contained a racial slur, saying: “Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist.”

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina also withdrew from the Wuhan Open earlier due to injury.