A French Open third-round doubles match unfortunately ended in a default after Miyu Kato accidentally hit a ball girl with a ball. Marie Bouzková and Sara Sorribes Tormo were leading 7-6(4) 1-3 when in the incident occurred, sending the two into their first doubles Grand Slam quarterfinal as a pair. Miyu Kato was partnering with Aldila Sutjiadi in the tournament.
What Happened
Following an unforced error from Kato, the Japanese player swatted a ball toward the back of the court in frustration. By mistake, Kato hit a ball girl in the shoulder, visibly leaving the ball girl in distress. Eurosport recorded the incident, capturing multiple arguments and discussions with tournament officials.
The incident first seemed to brush aside as a warning, as the chair umpire gave the pair a code violation for ball abuse. However, Sorribes Tormo and Bouzkova intensely pleaded their case for the match to end on the spot. Following a discussion with tournament supervisor Wayne McKewen and referee Remy Azemar, the match was over.
Kato tended to the ball girl to make sure she was ok, proving how atypical the ball abuse was of her. Sutjiadi comforted her doubles partner following the default. According to footage, neither Bouzkova nor Sorribes Tormo shook hands with the defaulted team, with both players satisfied that their pleas got them into the quarterfinals along with a hefty €34,000 check for their win.
Aftermath
Sunday’s incident certainly drew parallels to Djokovic’s shocking default at the 2020 US Open. Comparing the two, Djokovic’s mistake was far more dangerous, hitting the lineswoman in the neck. However, the codebook at all Grand slamsSstates that players “shall not violently, dangerously, or with anger hit, kick, or throw a tennis ball within the precincts of the tournament site except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during a match.”
While the decision was ultimately controversial, the majority of ball-persons and line-person incidents have led to defaults. A default in a 2014 Challenger tour match went viral, featuring an outburst from Darian King who accidentally hit a lineswoman and sent her into a panic attack.
Contrarily, a similar accident took place at Wimbledon when Stefanos Tsitsipas sent a ball into the crowd in the midst of a frustrating loss to Nick Kyrgios. The Australian demanded for a default, yet the umpire refused to extend his decision beyond a code violation warning. The ball barely missed a pair of spectators in the front rows, and the situation could have very well been serious if the spectator was hit given the ball’s speed.
Ultimately, Kato’s accident will dent her team’s ranking points in the tournament. The team will also forfeit all prize money earned during the French Open. The team is ranked seventh in the WTA doubles race, so both players will look to pick up ranking points and rebuild at Wimbledon.
Main Photo Credit: Matthias Hauer/GEPA via USA TODAY Sports
