Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen faced alleged racist abuse during her US Open match against Donna Vekic on Monday.
Courtside microphones picked up chants of “yellow banana, yellow” directed at Zheng as she prepared to serve in the second set.
The incident occurred during a tense moment, with Zheng trailing 3-2 and down 40-30.
Despite the disturbance, the world No. 7 went on to win the round of 16 match 7-6, 4-6, 6-2, in a contest that finished at 2:15 am – the latest-ever finish for a women’s match at Flushing Meadows.
Zheng Qinwen was the victim of alleged racist abuse
PA
Zheng appeared to respond to the abuse during the match. After winning a point, she looked up to the stands and said: “I will beat you.”
Her coach, Pere Riba, was also seen reacting to noises from the crowd.
In her post-match interview, she did not reference the incident and she thanked the fans who stayed to support her, instead.
The incident sparked outrage on Chinese social media.
On Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, the hashtag related to Zheng’s experience became the hottest trending topic, garnering over 1.65 million views before being removed.
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Many users praised Zheng for her composure during the match. However, some retaliated with racial insults aimed at white people, using terms like “white pig” and “white trash”.
Chinese social media platforms are known to censor offensive language and delete posts containing racist content.
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Zheng Qinwen was the victim of alleged racist abuse at the US Open
PA
Zheng’s victory marks her first US Open quarter-final appearance. She will face world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated her at the same stage last year and in the 2024 Australian Open final.
This is not the first time such racist chants have been directed at Chinese athletes.
In 2021, a similar incident occurred at the World Table Tennis Championships in Texas, prompting the International Table Tennis Federation to commit to preventing racist incidents.
The US Open has not yet released an official statement regarding the alleged racist abuse during Zheng’s match.
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Zheng Qinwen went on to win her contest over Donna Vekic
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Elsewhere, Britain’s No. 1 progressed to the quarter-final after beating Tomas Machac 6-3 6-1 6-2.
It is the first time the 22-year-old has reached such a stage at any Grand Slam while he has yet to drop a set at the US Open this year.