Gauff review sparks China Open debate as Djokovic slams rule

Coco Gauff advanced to the last 16 of the China Open with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Chinese teenager Xinran Sun, but the manner of her victory has prompted debate among tennis fans, according to Tennis365.

The third seed trailed 5-4 in a tight opening set against the 16-year-old, who won the US Open girls' singles title last month and had already beaten Eva Lys and 27th seed Cristina Bucsa to reach the third round in Beijing.

Serving at 15-15 in the following game, Gauff came to the net and stopped play just before Sun appeared to win the point, raising concerns about flickering LED advertising boards at the side of the court.

The umpire sent the incident to video review and sided with Gauff, who held her serve, broke Sun in the next game and closed out the first set 7-5.

Sun appeared to cry during the changeover at 6-5 and went on to win only one further game as Gauff completed the straight-sets victory.

The decision echoed a similar flashpoint from Sunday's quarter-final between Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, where a point was ordered to be replayed under the same WTA rule.

Djokovic, who went on to beat Zverev, told chair umpire Adel Nour the change was "one of the most stupid change of rules that I've heard in my life."

Reaction to the Gauff incident split opinion on social media. One user wrote that she was "absolutely shameless for challenging this point," while a commentator questioned why she had not stopped play immediately.

Another post argued Sun had been "robbed" and that the flickering boards affected both players equally, despite only Gauff halting the rally.

Others defended the American, pointing out that the review outcome was not in her control and that the rule itself, rather than any action by Gauff, decided the point.

One supporter wrote that invoking an official WTA review "would've been cheating if it was never pointed out," but was not once the umpire and video review confirmed the disruption.

With the rule already under scrutiny following the Djokovic-Zverev meeting, further disputes look likely as the WTA Tour continues through its autumn hard-court swing.

Gauff's progress to the fourth round keeps her in contention for a deep run at the China Open, a WTA 1000 event, as the tournament moves into its latter stages.