Duo Kato, Sutjiadi disqualified after ballgirl gets hit

Instead, it hit the youngster on the back of the head. Kato, 28, immediately apologised to the girl who was crying and shaking.

Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi were disqualified from the French Open on Sunday after a ballgirl was accidentally hit by a harmless looking lob in an incident which also called into question the sportsmanship of their opponents.

The drama happened when the Japanese player and her Indonesian partner were leading 3-1 in the second set after opponents Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo had claimed the opener.

Standing at the net, Kato gently backhanded a ball in the direction of the ballgirl standing at the opposite end of Court 14 in an apparent effort to help the flow of the match. Instead, it hit the youngster on the back of the head. Kato, 28, immediately apologised to the girl who was crying and shaking. 

At first Kato received just a warning, but the supervisor was then called to the court and the pair, seeded 16, were disqualified from the third-round match after Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo protested to the umpire.

Also Read: French Open: ‘Proud of this record,’ says Novak Djokovic

Other key results

Men's singles
>> Karen Khachanov bt Lorenzo Sonego 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7), 6-1

Women’s singles
>> Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova bt Elise Mertens 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!