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‘I’ll beat you’: angry Zheng Qinwen, Chinese fans react to apparent racist taunts at US Open

Chinese No 1’s anger was a response to the slur ‘yellow banana, yellow’ picked up by courtside microphones during her win over Donna Vekic

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Qinwen Zheng gestures towards fans moving in the stands during play against Donna Vekic in a women’s singles match on day seven of the 2024 US Open tennis tournament. Photo: USA Today Sports via Reuters

Chinese fans have reacted angrily after tennis star Zheng Qinwen appeared to be the victim of racist abuse during her US Open match against Donna Vekic on Monday.

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Zheng, who beat Vekic to Olympic gold in Paris last month, was trailing 3-2 and down 40-30 in the second set when an onlooker shouted something that sounded like “yellow banana, yellow” as she prepared to serve.

The slur, which has been directed at other Chinese athletes in the past, was picked up by courtside microphones during Zheng’s 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 win in the round of 16.

Video of the incident caused uproar on Chinese social media, with the hashtag becoming the hottest trending topic on Weibo with more than 1.65 million views before it was removed from the platform.

Social media users said the phrase was first heard when Zheng was up 30-15 in the third game of the second set. Video shows the world no 7 winning the point, and then looking up to the stands and saying: “I will beat you.”

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