An ESPN reporter called American tennis star Coco Gauff “Simone” after she bested Donna Vekic at the U.S. Open Thursday, setting off a wave of criticism on social media.
ESPN’s Katie George mistakenly called Gauff “Simone” as Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles sat a few rows away.
“Simone, this match had it all,” George said during a live post-match interview, mixing up two Black women.
George had just given an interview to Biles as the match was going on, in which Biles praised Gauff, the third-ranked tennis player in the world, according to the Women’s Tennis Association.
“It’s such a privilege to watch her on home soil … and watch black girl magic,” Biles said. “She is amazing on and off the court.”
Gauff, 21, didn’t call attention to George’s error; instead, she gave a tear-filled response about her performance in the match.
“Today was a tough match for me,” Gauff said. “But I’m just happy with how I was able to manage.”
Gauff then went on to praise Biles.
“She helped me pull it out. I was just thinking if she can go on a six-inch beam and do that under all the pressure of the world, then I can hit the ball [on this court],” Gauff said.
People online weren’t so easy to forgive the reporter’s mistake.
“That’s not Simone,” one user wrote in the YouTube comment section.
This reporter just called coco guaff “Simone.” Weird. pic.twitter.com/jVJBHvrmrR
— Selim Bleek (@selimbleek) August 29, 2025
“This reporter just called coco guaff ‘Simone.’ Weird,” one fan wrote on X.
Another fan said the flub was especially egregious given that the stadium where the match took place, Arthur Ashe Stadium, was named after a Black man. Ashe is the only Black man to win singles titles at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open.
“Calling Coco Gauff ‘Simone’ in the middle of Arthur Ashe is crazy,” the person wrote on X.
After a difficult first set, which ended in a tie, Gauff defeated Vekic, who hails from Croatia, in two sets, advancing her to the third round of the U.S. Open.
Gauff is set to face off against Poland’s Madalena Frech on Friday.
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