Sports27 May, 20262 min read
Wang Xinyu And Tamara Korpatsch Spark Heated Roland Garros Handshake Dispute
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Korpatsch defeated Wang Xinyu 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in Paris second round. A line-call dispute led Wang to cross the net during the exchange.
Mark dispute at Roland Garros
Wang Xinyu and Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch sparked a heated scene at Roland Garros on Court 7 when Wang, trailing 5-2 in the first set, had a forehand called out by a line judge and then walked forward to where it landed before pointing to a mark.
“The chair umpire came down and showed the mark, and it was out.”
Chair umpire Aurelie Tourte descended to check, ruled Wang’s forehand was out, and Wang asked the umpire, who told her she would get a code violation, before the crowd booed as Wang gestured toward her team.
The dispute lingered into the end of the match, when Korpatsch refused to shake hands with Wang after their second-round clash ended 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
Korpatsch later said, "There were two ball marks, one was the old one, and the other one was the new one," and added, "Both of them were out. So it doesn’t matter."
Accusations and a snub
After the match, Wang said Korpatsch tried to influence the umpire, telling reporters, "If I wasn’t sure which mark it was, then I wouldn’t show anything to the chair umpire." Korpatsch responded in a news conference by insisting she did not know which mark was right, saying, "I didn’t know which one was the right one, but the umpire came down and showed the mark, and it was out."
The BBC described how the initial flashpoint came when Wang went to Korpatsch’s side of the court to inspect a ball mark after the chair umpire ruled her shot had landed beyond the baseline. Wang was booed by the crowd for her actions and received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct, and the match ended with both players walking away without the customary handshake.
What happens next
Korpatsch’s refusal to shake hands followed a tense second-round match that the BBC said was overshadowed by lingering tension after Wang crossed the net to inspect the mark. The BBC reported that Korpatsch rebuked the suggestion by Wang that she was "not a fair player," and Korpatsch said she did not offer her hand because "that’s not fair for me."
“I didn't offer her my hand because that's not fair for me.”
With the result, Korpatsch advanced to the third round for the first time in her career, and Sky Sports said she will play seventh seed Elina Svitolina next. The BBC also noted that the French Open does not have electronic line calling, with officials inspecting marks left by the ball on the clay to assist their decisions, as the controversy over the two marks continued to define the aftermath.