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Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka received flak for her passive-aggressive behavior towards a ball girl in the semifinal at the 2024 Wuhan Open. In other news, Zheng Qinwen and Leylah Fernandez were caught in a tense exchange during their third-round clash in Wuhan.
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Frances Tiafoe unleashed their anger at the chair umpires during their respective third-round matches at the Shanghai Masters.
On that note, here's a recap of the top controversies from last week:
Aryna Sabalenka faced backlash for passive-aggressive exchange with ball girl at Wuhan Open
Aryna Sabalenka faced criticism for her passive-aggressive interaction with a ball girl during her 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over fourth seed Coco Gauff in the 2024 Wuhan Open semifinal.
In the final set, Sabalenka requested balls for her serve from the ball girl, but the young girl appeared confused by the instructions, which seemed to frustrate the Belarusian. After receiving the balls, the Belarusian tennis star tossed one in a manner that seemed to show her dissatisfaction with the situation.
Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka cruised past Katerina Siniakova, Yulia Putintseva, Magdalena Frech, and Gauff en route to the final, where the top seed defeated home favorite Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to clinch her third consecutive Wuhan Open title.
Zheng Qinwen and Leylah Fernandez were involved in a fiery on-court discussion during the Wuhan Open 3R
Zheng Qinwen was involved in a heated exchange with Leylah Fernandez during their third-round match at the 2024 Wuhan Open, where the former secured a 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 victory.
During the second set, Zheng appeared irritated by the continuous cheering from Fernandez's father and coach, Jorge, prompting the Chinese tennis star to call him out.
"You must to talk before I start to return?" Zheng said to Jorge Fernandez.
Fernandez intervened upon realizing Zheng had said something to her father. The chair umpire stepped in to diffuse the situation, and the match continued without further incident.
In a post-match interview, Zheng shared details about what transpired during the confrontation.
"Actually, I was distracted in the first set by what [Fernandez's father] was saying because Leylah was on the other side. He was always talking, 'C'mon, c'mon,' before I started to return. That's why I think I lost the game when I was 30-Love because I was a little bit distracted," Zheng Qinwen said (translated from Chinese).
The Chinese tennis star mentioned that Fernandez's father continued cheering in the same manner. Zheng also noted that she was dealing with stomach pains during the match.
"After that he continued doing. Plus the pain I had in the stomach, the fight against the opponent. One moment I cannot hold more. I said to him, You must to talk before I start to return?"
"But, I mean, after that actually I start to feel better because is what I have in my heart. I didn't say anything unrespectful. I just say what I feel without bad word," she added.
Alexander Zverev unleashed an angry rant against tennis umpires during Shanghai Masters 3R
Alexander Zverev lashed out at chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani after a disputed call during his 7-6(6), 2-6, 7-6(5) victory over Tallon Griekspoor in the third round at the Shanghai Masters.
In the first set, Lahyani ruled that Zverev had returned a shot after it bounced twice, which was confirmed by replays. Despite the correct call, Zverev launched into a fiery tirade, criticizing all the umpires.
"How on earth are you calling that? I got the ball completely clean?" Zverev shouted. "Let me say something, you guys umpires are f***ing up the whole tournament this year. Completely," said Zverev during the match.
The German tennis star also referenced a controversial moment from the 2024 French Open final against eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz, where a crucial umpiring mistake went against him in the fifth set.
"I have a Grand Slam final, I lose it because of you guys' mistake. I’m here running my a*** off with the illness, you guys still do mistakes," Zverev added.
Zverev stressed the toll of the demanding tennis schedule, saying such mistakes were unacceptable when players put in so much effort despite battling injuries and illnesses.
"I've played more than 80 matches this year, with injuries, with illness, with everything. And I cannot be bothered to go to China in October for you to screw up this. This is not possible. I’ve been playing for nine months now," he added.
Second seed Alexander Zverev's Shanghai Masters campaign concluded in the Round of 16, where he lost 4-6, 5-7 to David Goffin.
Stefanos Tsitsipas clashed with chair umpire over time violation in the Shanghai Masters 3R defeat
Stefanos Tsitsipas confronted chair umpire Fergus Murphy over a time violation during his 6-7(3), 3-6 loss to fifth seed Daniil Medvedev in the third round of the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
In the second set, the Greek tennis star received a time violation for taking too long to serve, which cost him his first serve. Frustrated, he stopped play to argue, claiming he was one of the best at serving on time and questioning the penalty.
Murphy stated he had no control over the clock, and Tsitsipas accused him of bias, noting he hadn't seen other players penalized for similar infractions. Murphy suggested Tsitsipas watch more matches to see other players receive time violations.
After their exchange, the Greek tennis star resumed play but was broken in that service game. He voiced his frustrations during the changeover, questioning Murphy's tennis knowledge.
Tsitsipas then refused to continue until he spoke with the supervisor to clarify the violation, despite Murphy urging him to proceed with the match.
Watch the video here:
Stefanos Tsitsipas will next participate in the 2024 European Open in Belgium, where he is seeded second. The Greek tennis star received a bye into the second round, where he will take on either Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or a qualifier.
In doubles, Stefanos Tsitsipas and his brother Petros will take on the Dutch pair of David Pel and Robin Haase on October 15.
Frances Tiafoe goes on an expletive-filled rant at chair umpire during Shanghai Masters 3R defeat
Frances Tiafoe confronted chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote with verbal abuse after his 7-5, 5-7, 6-7(5) loss to Roman Safiullin in the third round of the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
Tiafoe's outburst was triggered by the umpire's decision to revoke his first serve following a time violation at a critical moment in the third-set tiebreak, with the score tied at five points each. Despite Tiafoe's attempts to plead his case, Pinoargote remained firm.
After the handshake at the net, the American tennis star pointed at Pinoargote and began yelling obscenities.
"F**k you!" Tiafoe said.
Hours later, Tiafoe apologized on Instagram for his behavior, expressing disappointment and calling his actions unacceptable. The American tennis star attributed his actions to the heat of the moment and promised not to repeat it in the future.
"I really apologize for the way I acted tonight. That is not who I am and not how I ever want to treat people. I let my frustration in the heat of the moment get the best of me and I'm extremely disappointed with how I handled the situation. That's not acceptable behavior and I want to apologize to the umpire, the tournament, and the fans. I'll be better for y'all," the American tennis star wrote.
Frances Tiafoe will now participate in the Almaty Open in Kazakhstan as a top seed. The American received a bye into the second round, where he will take on either Taro Daniel or a qualifier on October 17.
