Social media users have been left divided after a doubles pair was disqualified from the French Open for hitting a ball girl in the head.
In the second set on Court 14 at Roland Garros on June 4, Miyu Kato and her partner Aldila Sutjiadi, of Indonesia were leading against Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo in the third round of the women’s doubles.
However, things dramatically turned after the Japanese athlete struck the ball down to the other end of the court. Unaware that the ball was heading her way - and already holding two balls in her hand - the ball girl was unfortunately struck directly on the head and began crying.
The umpire initially gave Kato a warning but Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo pointed out that the young girl was in distress and argued that their opponents should be disqualified, or defaulted from the match. Therefore, the supervisor and tournament referee, Remy Azemar was called to examine the situation.
Watch the incident below:The athlete immediately apologized to the ball girl and lengthy discussions took place before the umpire eventually made the decision to disqualify the pair. This prompted loud boos from the audience, and Kato broke down in tears.
Several viewers and tennis commentators were shocked by the heavy punishment, especially given that Kato didn’t strike the ball in anger.
Tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg wrote: "Brutal call. Ball not hit in anger whatsoever, just hit across to ball girl to keep the match flowing because it was the other team’s turn to serve. Ball girl had hands full, reacted late. I hope K/S can appeal and not lose their entire prize money, as happens on defaults."
The Tennis Podcast account interjected: "Surprised this resulted in a default. Smacking the ball in anger, not caring where it goes, is one thing, but Kato seemed to be appropriately returning the ball. It was a genuine accident, not one caused by disregarding the safety of others. Can’t the rules recognize that?"
ATP tennis commentator Rob Koenig penned: "No way this is a default, chair umpire was initially correct. It’s almost like she’s chipping the ball to the ball kid to catch. Roger used to do this all the time. Ball kids catches it, and it’s a round of applause…disgraceful from the opponents who demanded a default."
Meanwhile, some people agreed with the harsh disqualification, remarking that players need to be aware of their surroundings. One user said: "I am not disputing the lack of intention here, but look how shaken up that poor ball girl is. As a player, it is your job to be aware of the surroundings and everything. You can't throw a ball aimlessly and hope for the best. The default is correct."
A second user added: "Just bounce or roll the ball. It’s not hard. People arguing intent are weird. When someone fails a test, is that result intended? No, but they still fail. This is life. There are consequences to your actions. Kato failed a test today. Hopefully, she learns from it."
During the discussions, one official compared the incident to Novak Djokovic's disqualification from the 2020 US Open after hitting a line judge in the throat with the ball.
"If you hit someone and they're injured, then you're responsible for that action," the official said, per Daily Mail. "Even if you don't mean it, you're still responsible for that action."
Kato confirmed her full punishment in a short statement on Twitter, writing: "I would like to sincerely apologize to the ball girl, my partner Aldila, and team, and my supporters because of today’s unfortunate mishap. It was completely unintentional. As a result, I am penalized by Roland Garros by forfeiting my prize money and points. I appreciate all your continued support!"
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