Doubles players Aldila Soutjiadi and Miyu Kto’s French Open experience came to an abrupt end on Sunday.
After a point, Kato accidentally struck a ball girl on the neck with the ball.
During the second game, Kato struck a ball that hit the neck of the ball girl, who was not facing Kato.
a tough scene in Paris. Doubles partners Kato/Sutjiadi just got defaulted as Kato hit a ball girl accidentally at 6-7(1), 3-1.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/A7BIshh1CX
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 4, 2023
After the ball accidentally hit her, you could see the girl crying.
Alexandre Juge, the chair umpire, issued Kato a warning at first. Kato and Sutjiadi later were disqualified, after the tournament referee came to the court and investigated.
Bouzkova told Tennis Channel that it was a very unfortunate match. “Sara and myself, we have never been in a situation like this before, so this also left us feeling a little shaken. Everyone is in a difficult situation. “But it’s a situation that has to be accepted by the rules, as they are, even though it is very unfortunate for them.”
Bouzkova claimed that the ball girl “cried for about 15 minutes.” She asked Juge to look into it further and “ask our opponents what they believe happened.”
The disqualification of a Grand Slam player for accidentally hitting someone with a tennis ball is not the first.
Novak Djokovic, the winner of the 2020 U.S. Open in the Round 16 was disqualified after accidentally hitting a line judge with a ball that went off the court.
Bouzkova & Sorribes-Tormo have advanced to the quarterfinals after their win on Sunday.
