The French Open experience ended abruptly on Sunday for doubles players Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi.
The two tennis players were forced to give up their third round match against Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic and Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain after Kato accidentally hit a ball boy in the neck with a ball after a point.
Miyu Kato serves behind her partner Aldila Sutjiadi as they play Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund in a doubles semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open on March 17, 2023 in Indian Wells, California. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
During the second set, Kato hit a ball out of bounds, connecting with the neck. of a ball girl who wasn’t looking towards Kato.
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The girl could be seen crying after the ball inadvertently hit her.
At the start, Kato received a warning from chair umpire Alexandre Juge. Kato and Sutjiadi were later disqualified after the tournament referee and the Grand Slam Supervisor came to court to investigate.
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«Obviously, it’s very unfortunate overall,» Bouzkova said after the match, according to Tennis Channel. «Sara and I had never been in this kind of situation before, so it also gave us a bit of a shock. It’s a difficult situation for everyone. But it’s something that, I suppose, should be taken by the government as it is, even though it is very unfortunate for them.»
Marie Bouzkova reacts after scoring a point against Wang Xinyu during the French Open at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
Bouzkova said the ball boy was «in tears for about 15 minutes» and asked Juge to «investigate further and ask our opponents what they think happened.»
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Sunday’s disqualification is not the first time a player has been disqualified from a grand slam for inadvertently hitting someone with a ball.
A tennis ball on the court during the Roland-Garros Open at Court Simonne-Mathieu in Paris on June 3, 2023. (Julien de Rosa/AFP via Getty Images)
At the 2020 US Open, Novak Djokovic he was disqualified in the round of 16 after he hit a ball out of bounds, accidentally hitting a linesman in the neck.
Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo advanced to the quarterfinals with victory on Sunday.
Associated Press contributed to this report