by The Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti was lucky enough not to be disqualified by the French Open after taking a ball with a line judge.
In the second sentence of his quarter -final against American Frances Tiafoe, Musetti crashed the ball frustrated and he met the woman, who was about three meters away, in his chest.
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Tiafoe looked stunned at the other end of the court and pointed to the referee, who finally gave Musetti a code violation.
There were Echos from Novak Djokovic, who were in arrears at the US Open 2020 after accidentally hit a female judge with a ball.
Tiafoe, the 15th seed, said: “I mean, obviously he did it and nothing happened. I think that’s strange, but it is what it is.
“Nothing happened, so there is really nothing to talk. Obviously it is not consistent, so it is what it is.”
The former broadcaster Rennae Stubbs with players wrote on X: “Wow Musetti is very lucky to be still on the pitch at the moment. You can’t kick a ball and the person of the lines and not by default.”
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Musetti, who reached the semi -finals in Wimbledon last year, won the game 6: 2 4: 6 7: 5 6: 2 for the first time in Roland Garros.
He said, “Yes, I was a little bit, frankly, frightened because of course I didn’t want to hurt anyone.
“So I immediately went to the referee and of course said ‘Sorry’, I apologize to everyone.
“It was right to have a warning, but I think the referee saw that it has no intention, and therefore, you know, you probably let me continue my game.”
The French Open are the only one of the four Grand slams that still use line judges and non -electronic line calls.
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The former British number one Tim Henman was in default in a double game in Wimbledon in 1995 when a ball he slapped over the net had hit a ball child after one point.
Henman, part of TNT Sports and Eurosport’s reporting on Roland Garros, said: “If you hit frustrated or hit a ball and hits a ball boy, a line judge or a referee, this can be a disqualification.
“If you look at this, the referee could have interpreted that Musetti felt very unhappy and annoyed as a disqualification as a disqualification.
“If you trick a ball away, you either have to be a better footballer and step in the right direction, or you risk something like that.”
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Musetti will meet the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who was 6-0 6: 4 American 12th seed with 6: 0 6: 4 in another one -sided night game.
“I’m sorry that they wanted to see more tennis. I had to do my work,” Alcaraz then told the court Philippe-Chatrier audience.
