"Was a concerning situation": Gauff admits question marks still remain on Peng Shuai as WTA tennis returns to China

America’s tennis star Coco Gauff has said that there were still some questions to be answered about the sexual harassment claims made by China’s Peng Shuai.

The 37-year-old disappeared after making a bold claim on social media that she was forced to sleep with an influential political figure Zhang Gaoli.

Shuai later denied making those claims but that was enough to convince the WTA about her safety which is why they ended up pulling all of its tournaments out of China.

However, normalcy has returned in the Asian country where a top-tier WTA 1000 event is currently taking place — the China Open.

Gauff, who is also taking part in the event, was asked about the whole incident where she ended up sharing her point of view.

“It was a concerning situation when it happened and there’s still a lot of questions raised about that,” she said. “Regarding my safety here… the hospitality that I have received so far has been really great.

“I’ve felt not the slightest bit of insecurity regarding [my own safety] but obviously, I wish (Peng) the best and I hope that she’s doing well.”

Gauff is coming into the tournament on the back of winning her first Grand Slam as she lifted the recently concluded US Open by beating the current world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The 19-year-old is now set to face off against Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the round of 64 of the China Open on Sunday.