"Did I cheat?" Female tennis players whose friendship was shattered... 'Emotional outburst' — refusal to shake hands escalated to public attacks

*This content was translated by AI.

An emotional clash unfolded among players at the French Open, one of the world's premier tennis tournaments. Wang Xinyu (25, China) and Tamara Korpatsch (31, Germany), who had maintained a good relationship, engaged in a sharp confrontation on the court.

The U.S. media outlet People reported on the 28th (Korean time) that "Wang Xinyu and Korpatsch exchanged heated words over allegations of 'cheating' at the French Open."

The two players faced each other in the second round of the women's singles at the French Open held on the 27th at Roland Garros in Paris, France. In that match, Korpatsch, ranked 95th in the world, caused an upset by defeating Wang Xinyu, ranked 32nd.

Tensions between the two players escalated early in the first set. At the time, a shot hit hard by Wang Xinyu was called out. The French Open does not use an electronic line-calling system, so the chair umpire made the call by directly inspecting the ball marks on the clay court.

However, Wang Xinyu could not easily accept the call. She crossed over to Korpatsch's side of the court to inspect the ball marks herself.

From Korpatsch's perspective, this was an unpleasant scene. Indeed, an argument broke out between the two players. The situation worsened after the match. The winner, Korpatsch, refused to shake hands with Wang Xinyu. Korpatsch was also warned by the chair umpire for performing the post-match ceremony too early during the game.

According to reports, Korpatsch did not hide her displeasure toward Wang Xinyu even during the post-match press conference. She explained, "Wang Xinyu said things that made it seem difficult for her to accept the ball marks and the call. But I could not give away points without any basis."

Korpatsch then added, "Honestly, I was surprised. We were good friends, not enemies. But Wang Xinyu's action of crossing over to my side of the court was hard for me to accept," and expressed her dissatisfaction by stating, "I am not a player who cheats."

Korpatsch also praised the chair umpire of the match, Aurelie Tourte, as "one of the best umpires on the court." By expressing her trust in the umpire's call, it can be interpreted as a mockery of Wang Xinyu's behavior.

Korpatsch further raised her voice, saying, "I don't even know how to cheat. There are many cameras on the court, and every moment can be reviewed. If I were to cheat in that way, it would be embarrassing."

Wang Xinyu also reflected on her actions after the match. Regarding the situation where she crossed over to the opponent's side to check the ball marks, she said, "I should have acted differently," expressing her regret.

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*This content was translated by AI.