Coco Gauff: why the point against Sun was replayed in Beijing

The point Sun Xinran appeared to win against Coco Gauff was replayed because courtside panels flickered during the rally. According to the WTA’s official match report, the disturbance happened while play was still in progress and forced the officials to restart the point. It was therefore not a review of whether the ball had landed in or out.

What happened during the point

Gauff was serving to stay in the first set while trailing 5-4. Sun struck a ball that appeared to end the rally and would have made the score 15-30. Before that outcome could stand, however, the panels beside the court flickered while the rally was underway.

The WTA identifies the incident as the direct reason for the replay. Because the disruption occurred while both players were still contesting the point, the outcome seen by the crowd — Sun’s apparent winner — was not counted. The rally was treated as interrupted rather than normally completed.

Why it was not a line review

A line review determines whether a ball touched the valid area of the court. In the Beijing incident, the official report records no uncertainty about the ball’s path, mark or bounce. The decisive element was the flickering display panels, something external to the players’ execution.

That distinction explains why the entire point was replayed. There was no “in” or “out” call to correct and no point automatically awarded to Sun: the interference occurred before the rally could acquire a valid result.

What can be said about Rule 26

The proposed subject connects the decision to Rule 26 of the ITF Rules of Tennis, concerning hindrance. However, the official ITF material supplied for this article did not include the rule’s text among the sources actually read. For accuracy, its conditions, exceptions and wording cannot be reproduced here as though they had been verified.

The fact documented by the WTA is narrower and sufficient to explain the case: the panels flickered during the rally, so the point had to be played again. Formal confirmation that the chair umpire applied Rule 26 would require checking the relevant ITF document.

How the score developed afterward

The replay occurred when Gauff was one point away from falling behind 15-30 in the game in which she served at 5-4 down. After the restart, the American won the next three points and levelled the set at 5-5.

In the following game, Gauff broke serve with a backhand return winner to lead 6-5. She then held at love and completed the set 7-5 after 58 minutes. Gauff won the match 7-5, 6-1 in 1 hour and 29 minutes to advance to the round of 16.

The match context

Sun was 16 years old, ranked No. 582 and had entered the draw with a wild card. Gauff, then World No. 4, won nine of the match’s final ten games. She also claimed 17 of 22 points at the net and finished with 26 winners against 21 unforced errors.

The match was part of the China Open’s third round on October 5, 2026. The WTA’s tournament guide identifies Beijing as the season’s second-to-last WTA 1000 event and lists Gauff as the 2024 champion.

The correct reading of the incident

The replay mattered competitively because it came at a delicate stage of the first set and was followed by a favorable run for Gauff. That sequence alone does not make the interference ruling an officiating mistake. The supported conclusion is that an outside stimulus appeared during play and prevented that rally from having its normal result.

For any updates to the result or regulations, consult the official WTA and ITF pages.