By American tennis star Coco Gauff was left in tears following a heated exchange with the umpire during her 6-2, 6-4 defeat to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the French Open semi-finals. The 20-year-old accused the umpire of making a wrong call and told her she “should be ashamed” during the contentious moment at Roland Garros.
The flashpoint occurred when Gauff was attempting to fight her way back into the match, leading 2-1 in the second set on Swiatek’s serve. A second serve from the Polish player was called out just as Gauff hit her return long. However, when the umpire overruled the call and awarded the point to Swiatek, Gauff vehemently argued that she had hit her return after the ball had already been called out, and the point should have been replayed.
“He called it and then I hit it. I’m a thousand percent sure,” Gauff insisted. “If he called it before I hit it, I stopped my reaction. I didn’t even finish my follow-through. He called it before I hit it. Will you ask him?”
Umpire Aurelie Tourte refused to consult the line judge, stating, “No, we cannot ask him. For me, it did not affect your shot.”
As the crowd booed in response to the incident, Gauff retorted, “They’re booing because you’re wrong. It’s the second time that’s happened. You should be ashamed. It’s a grand slam semi-final, know the rules of the game.”
Replays suggest that the call occurred at the same instant as Gauff played her return, making it a marginal decision. However, Gauff’s argument that the call caused her to pull out of her follow-through is a compelling one.
Despite breaking Swiatek’s serve in that game for a 3-1 lead, Gauff ultimately lost the next four games in a row, as Swiatek served out a comfortable victory. The head-to-head record between the two players now stands at 11-1 in Swiatek’s favor, and on this evidence, it appears challenging for Gauff to improve that record in the near future.
Gauff’s aggressive approach, which saw her attempt to blast Swiatek off the court, led to a high number of unforced errors. In contrast, Swiatek was able to settle into a consistent rhythm, waiting for her opponent to make mistakes. The first set ended with Swiatek winning 29 of the 31 points she needed courtesy of Gauff’s errors.
Although Gauff showed improvement in the second set, being more selective with her aggression and focusing on depth rather than power, her unforced error count remained too high, ultimately leading to her defeat.
As Swiatek continues her march towards a potential fourth French Open title in five years, Gauff and her team must now address the pressing question of how to overcome the formidable Polish player in future encounters.
Credit: Dailymail.com
