Tennis News Today: Coco Gauff calls out coach for near-blunder at Wuhan Open; Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev come under fire for poor behavior

Valentin Vacherot etched his name in history as the lowest-ranked player ever to win a Masters 1000 title, as he defeated his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in a heart-melting moment in the Shanghai final earlier today. Coco Gauff, on the other hand, emerged as the winner of the Wuhan Open, defeating compatriot Jessica Pegula in a nerve-wracking final.

However, top stars Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev were called out by fans for their poor sportsmanship. Having lost in the semifinals of the respective tournaments, the duo had an emotional outburst, which was condemned by fans.

On that note, let us take a look at some of the top stories of the day:

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#1. Coco Gauff calls out coach for his misjudgement

Coco Gauff took home the Wuhan Open title, as well as a whopping $596,000 as the prize money. However, she revealed that she would not have won it if she had followed what her coach, Jean-Christophe Faurel, recommended.

In light of the struggle to serve and poor performance in this edition of the US Open, Faurel suggested Gauff opt out of the Asian tennis swing and work on herself. During the winner's speech, she said,

“I’m going to call JC out. He originally didn’t want me to come because I had a tough US Open but I had to prove him wrong. I’m a very stubborn person so maybe he said that on purpose for me to have a good result here.”

Jessica Pegula also took home a handsome amount of $351,000 as a runner-up in Wuhan.

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#2. Daniil Medvedev receives criticism for outburst after Shanghai loss

Daniil Medvedev, known for his on-court antics, received harsh criticism from fans after he burst out at the umpire after his loss in the semifinal at the Shanghai Masters. Losing to Arthur Rinderknech, the ATP star lashed out at chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani.

Fans were critical of Medvedev's dramatic exchange with Lahyani, with some labeling him as immature.

"Worst sportsmanship on the tour year after year. Does he EVER lose gracefully? What an a-hole." wrote a fan on X (formerly Twitter).

In the Round of 16 match, Medvedev also received a code of conduct violation from Lahyani for taking a long time to serve.

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#3. Aryna Sabalenka receives hate for outburst after Wuhan SF loss

Aryna Sabalenka lost to Jessica Pegula in the semifinal of the Wuhan Open on Saturday. Unsettled with the loss, she smashed her racquet on the court, which almost hit a ball kid who stood in close vicinity.

This act by the Belarusian quickly spurred outrage as fans thought this behavior was unacceptable, with some even bringing up Iga Swiatek to provide comparisons. An X user wrote:

“Last time Iga bounced a ball because of frustration she needed to post an apology letter on her instagram and Aryna's behavior is even worse.”

Sabalenka has opted out of the upcoming Ningbo Open.

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#4. Emma Raducanu on travelling along with her mother in the Asia swing

Emma Raducanu's mother, Renee Zhai, is keeping her company on the tour, as she is travelling with her from Wuhan to Ningbo. The Brit expressed gratitude for having her mother alongside her but also revealed that there are a lot of perks in doing so, as Zhai is Chinese-born and is accustomed to the culture and people.

"Yes, it's great to have her company. I especially like traveling in Asia with her. We all feel very comfortable and at ease. She can arrange all kinds of things well and solve many small problems," said Raducanu in the pre-tournament press conference.

Raducanu will be playing Zhu Lin in the first round of the tournament.

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#5. Boris Becker praises Novak Djokovic for his message to Valentin Vacherot

Boris Becker praised Novak Djokovic, as the Serb sent out a heartfelt message to Valentin Vacherot, who defeated him in the semifinal of the Shanghai Masters.

"Shanghai, you will always have my heart. 谢谢你所做的一切 🫶🏼 And @val_vacherot , this is your moment. You played unbelievably and have made Monaco proud . Bonne chance pour la finale," Djokovic posted after his loss.

Becker, impressed with the Serb's sportsman spirit, showered him with compliments under his post and wrote:

"You’re just a class act !"

Vacherot eventually went on to win the tournament, making a huge leap from being ranked 204 in the world to being in the top 50 of the PIF ATP rankings this week.

Edited by Tushhita Barua