Aryna Sabalenka almost got disqualified from the Wuhan Open tournament in China after throwing her racquet in anger, which almost injured the ball boy and she ended up losing to Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals 6-2,4-6, 6-7.
The incident happened when she lost a point in the third set at 5-5, the 27-year-old threw her racket straight to where the Ball boy was standing, with the cameraman also seated. The racket collided with the bench and bounced back onto the tennis court.
Addressing the public through a post she posted on Instagram for the first time since the incident, Sabalenka said: “Not the ending I wanted but thankful for the time spent here. Thank you to the fans for the support and making this stadium feel like home.”
If the Belarusian tennis player hit the boy or the cameraman, that would have been intentional contact, which is a major offense that will lead to immediate disqualification, fines, and possible.
This is not the first time Sabalenka has thrown a racket. At the same tournament in 2023, she received a warning and she was fined £ 14 983,10 for smashing her racket after losing the Australian Open final to Madison Keys.
Pegula faced Coco Gauff in the final on Sunday, but she lost the match 6-4, 7-5. This victory sees the 21-year-old become the first player to win her first nine hard court finals
