Tensions boiled over for world number one Aryna Sabalenka during her quarterfinal contest against Zheng Qinwen at the Italian Open in Rome.
Having lost the first set and behind in the second, the Belarusian star was handed an audible obscenity warning after an altercation with a fan in the stands.
The world number one on the WTA tour, Sabalenka was amongst the favourites for the Rome title, having reached the final in 2024. However, China’s world number eight Zheng proved to be a match for Sabalenka at Centre Court. Having won the first set 6-4, the Olympics 2024 gold medallist broke Sabalenka’s serve in the very first game of the second.
A fan got involved, trying to egg on Sabalenka by shouting from the stands: “Come on Aryna, play tennis.” The Belarusian did not appreciate the interjection, shouting back at the fan to “Shut the f*** up!”
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=Dailyhuntapp&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-6&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1922718163621347524&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fm.dailyhunt.in%2Fnews%2Findia%2Fenglish%2Ffor%2Byou%3Flaunch%3Dtrue%26mode%3Dpwa&sessionId=4a94a817a39e18762b5cdda4ea77e48dea65c000&siteScreenName=Dailyhuntapp&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
Sabalenka’s brief outburst earned her an audible obscenity warning from the chair umpire, making things worse for the 27-year-old. The road to recovery proved to be tough from there under the lights at the Foro Italico, as she slumped to a 6-4 6-3 loss against her opponent.
Zheng snaps 6-match losing streak vs Sabalenka
Sabalenka had gotten the better of Zheng in each of their first six meetings, including earlier this year at the Miami Open, with this being the Chinese player’s first-ever triumph over the world number one. Despite Sabalenka’s dominance in the match-up, it was Zheng who progressed through to the semifinals, where she will face off against American star Coco Gauff.
Three-time slam champion Sabalenka is gearing up for a strong run at the French Open, where she is gunning to lift the title after having fallen at the semifinals and quarterfinals in each of the last two years. Sabalenka reached the final of the Australian Open earlier this year, where she was out-hit and out-lasted by Madison Keys in a compelling match of tennis.
Zheng, meanwhile, is looking for just her second WTA 1000 final appearance, having lost to Sabalenka at her home tournament of Wuhan late in 2024. Zheng also lost her only grand slam final appearance to Sabalenka, at 2024’s Australian Open, marking this result as a big relief against an opponent who has historically had her number.