At last, a professional sports association has the guts to stand up to China. It’s the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (Rep-Texas) says it possesses more of a certain male characteristic than China’s whipping boy, the National basketball Association.

The WTA is suspending events in China after tennis player Peng Shuai was missing for several days over her accusation that a former high-ranking government official, Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, raped her. Shuai reappeared after several days, but her absence did nothing to assure the world that China tolerates free speech.

“I am announcing the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong,” WTA executive Steve Simon said. “In good conscience, I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault.