2023-06-04 23:38:00
(CNN) — A doubles match Roland Garros ended in controversial fashion this Sunday, when the 16th seeds, Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi, were disqualified from the tournament after a ball boy was hit by a ball.
After losing the first set to Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain and Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, Kato of Japan and Sutjiadi of Indonesia were leading 3-1 in the second set of their third-round match when the incident occurred.
Eurosport coverage it showed Kato innocently hitting the ball towards the back of the court after a point, and although he didn’t seem like he meant to hit it intentionally, the ball hit him on the head. Standing at the back of the court, the ball boy, in tears, was visibly shaken.
Chair umpire Alexandre Juge issued a code of infringement before Grand Slam supervisor Wayne McKewen and tournament referee Remy Azemar appeared on court 14. Following discussions between the referees and the players, it was announced that Kato and Sutjiadi had been disqualified.
The Roland Garros crowd greeted the news with boos, while Sutjiadi comforted Kato.
Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg tweeted: “Brutal decision. Ball was not hit in anger at all, just kicked towards the ball boy to keep up the pace of the match because it was the other team’s turn to serve. The ball boy had her hands full, He reacted late.”
It is not the first time that a player has been expelled from a Grand Slam. One of the most notorious incidents occurred in 2020, when Novak Djokovic’s US Open ended early after he was penalized for inadvertently hitting a linesman.
According to the Grand Slam rule book, players “shall not strike, kick or throw a tennis ball in a violent, dangerous or angry manner within the tournament venue, except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during a match (including The warm-up)”.
The regulations state: “In all cases of non-compliance, the referee’s decision in consultation with the Grand Slam Chief Supervisor shall be final and not subject to appeal.”
Under the rules, a player in default will forfeit all ranking points earned in the tournament, as well as all prize money won in the tournament.
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