Coco Gauff says she is “sad” TikTok is no longer usable in the United States – but it will help her “read more books instead”.

The American, 20, wrote “RIP TikTok USA” and drew a broken heart on a camera lens shortly after her win over Belinda Bencic in the Australian Open fourth round.

The social media platform has gone offline for American users, hours before a new law banning the platform was due to come into effect.

It has been banned in the US over concerns about its links to the Chinese government.

Speaking after her 5-7 6-2 6-1 win over Switzerland’s Bencic in Melbourne, third seed Gauff said: “Hopefully it comes back. It’s really sad. I love TikTok.”

“It’s like an escape. I honestly do that before matches.

“I guess it’ll force me to read books more, be more of a productive human probably. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.”