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French Open players forced to forfeit doubles match after accidentally hitting ballgirl in neck

DSprofileby: Dustin Schutte06/05/23DLS1066206
miyu kato
(Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty Images)

The French Open came to a screeching halt for the women’s doubles team of Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi. The duo were forced to forfeit when Kato accidentally hit a ballgirl in the neck with a tennis ball.

Kato and Sutjiadi were playing in the third round of the French Open against Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo. After a point, Kato hit a ball that struck a girl in the neck. It occurred in the second set of the match.

Because of the safety rules involved with tennis, Kato and Stjiadi were disqualified from the remainder of the tournament.

“Obviously, it’s very unfortunate overall,” Bouzkova said, per Tennis Channel. “Sara and I, we’ve never been in this kind of situation, so we were kind of shaken up by this as well. It’s just a tough situation for everyone. But it’s something that, I guess, has to be taken by the rules as it is, even though it’s very unfortunate for them.”

Kato’s action didn’t appear intentional, but the rules of tennis are pretty specific about this type of offense. Without question, it has to be one of the most heartbreaking ways to get eliminated from one of the sport’s biggest tournaments.

Although the ballgirl appeared shaken up after the incident, she didn’t suffer any serious injury.

Novak Djokovic DQed from 2020 U.S. Open for similar penalty

The incident at the French Open wasn’t the first time we’ve seen a player disqualified for this type of situation. In 2020, Novak Djokovic forfeited in the Round of 16 for a similar incident.

Djokovic, who was the No. 1 player at the time, intended to hit a ball against the back wall after a point. However, he inadvertently struck a line judge in the throat. That incident appeared to be a little more scary than the one we witnessed in the French Open.

The tennis star immediately apologized and ran over to assist the injured line judge after the incident. However, she could not return to the action and Djokovic was eliminated from the tournament.

It’s not exactly the most common thing to see on a tennis court, but it does happen from time to time. The rules are in place to help avoid these situations, but occasionally it still occurs.

Word to the wise, it’s best to not strike a tennis ball — in any direction — when the point ends. No matter the intentions, one wrong swing could put a heartbreaking end to your tournament.