Uproar at the French Open: Doubles pair dropped out after incident with ball girl

On the right of the picture are the French Open doubles pair Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi and on the left is a ball girl who was hit. — The French Open doubles pair Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi were disqualified after the Japanese accidentally hit a ball into a ball girl. Image: Eurosport

There was controversy over the French Open after doubles pair Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi were disqualified from Roland Garros following a bizarre moment with a ball girl. Japanese player Kato accidentally hit a ball girl in the neck when she casually returned a ball over the net between points, sparking wild scenes on Court 14 at Roland Garros.

The incident occurred in the second set of the doubles match against Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo, both of whom were condemned by spectators for their unsportsmanlike conduct after they apparently begged the referee to disqualify their opponents. Initially, referee Alexandre Juge only issued a warning to Kato, while the Japanese star’s opponents called for harsher measures.

‘BRUTALLY’: Sad news about Elena Rybakina shakes up French Open women’s draw

WOW: Taylor Fritz performance surprises French Open amid ‘shameful’ crowd drama

‘IRONMAN’: Bizarre picture triggers wild theories about Novak Djokovic

“That’s an offence,” she was heard saying. The referee replied: “She didn’t do it on purpose, she (the ball girl) didn’t hurt herself.”

Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo responded by saying, “But she’s crying. She’s crying.” Then things took a dramatic turn when tournament referee Remy Azemar and Grand Slam supervisor, Australian Wayne McKewen, came to Court 14 to investigate the incident.

Pictured from left to right: Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo at the French Open. — Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo were accused of unsportsmanlike conduct after they asked for their opponents in the doubles at the French Open not to be considered. Image: Eurosport

Ultimately, Kato and her partner were disqualified, much to the shock of spectators. The Japanese star apologized after the fight for what she described as a “completely unintentional” and “regrettable mishap.”

“I would like to sincerely apologize to the ball girl, my partner Aldila and her team, as well as my fans for today’s unfortunate mishap,” Kato wrote. “It was completely unintentional. Because of this, I will be punished by RG by losing my prize money and points. I am grateful for all your continued support!”

The incident infuriated spectators. Many felt that the call for the players to be disqualified was unnecessary and excessive. Others pointed the finger at Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo, saying that the doubles team’s calls for their opponents to be declared unqualified were “disgraceful” and unsportsmanlike.

Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi were disqualified from their doubles match at Roland Garros

Kato hit a ball boy in the chest, but he didn’t hit the ball out of anger. The ball boy cried

They initially received only a warning, but eventually fell into arrears.pic.twitter.com/zymNJDKvo8

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 4, 2023

Kato accidentally hit the ball at the ball carrier. I hope the ball girl is OK. Very unfortunate incident. But I was very disappointed by the unsportsmanlike conduct of Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo, who pleaded for a delay and even laughed 😩 https://t.co/8RyeZpep1g pic.twitter.com/SEmhIp77wy

— ハモ (@Vestige_du_jour) June 4, 2023

Disgraceful behavior from SST & Bouzkova to pressure the ref to call a default here. I hope they feel guilty for “winning” like that. Overall a sad situation because even though the ball accidentally hit the girl, there was no intention behind it at all. It wasn’t hit out of anger. https://t.co/SjEBMlAp3k

— Vansh (@vanshv2k) June 4, 2023

Brutal call.

The ball was not hit out of anger, but was simply hit to the ball girl to keep the game going as it was the other team’s turn to serve. The ball girl had her hands full and was late in reacting.

I hope K/S can appeal and not lose all their prize money, as happens when they don’t follow the rules. https://t.co/tTuVsmVV6Z

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) June 4, 2023

Disgraceful. I feel so sorry for Miyu and Aldila (and the ball girl of course).

— Isabelle (@ievmartin) June 4, 2023

Failure incident shocks French Open

“It’s just a bad situation for everyone,” Bouzkova said after winning by a no-contest. “But I guess it’s something that’s accepted as it is according to the rules, even if it’s very unfortunate for her. Ultimately, it was the referee’s decision.”

Bouzkova said she did not see the ball hit the ball girl, but “she was crying for about 15 minutes.” The Czech player said one of the officials said the ball “must have caused some kind of damage to the person involved” and “that’s what (Juge) didn’t see at first.”

Bouzkova said she and Sorribes Tormo told Juge to “take a closer look and ask our opponents what they think happened.” A similar incident threatened to overshadow the fight between teen stars Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff 24 hours earlier.

In Gauff’s 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-1 singles victory over Andreeva, the 16-year-old Russian hit a ball into the stands of Court Suzanne Lenglen after losing a point in the first set. Andreeva received a warning from the umpire for unsportsmanlike conduct but no further penalty.

“I’ve heard about it. I haven’t seen it,” Bouzkova said. “I think it just depends on the circumstances and the situation. … It’s definitely difficult.”

with agencies

Sign up for our newsletter and learn more about the most important sports stories of the week.