French Open match becomes tense as player confronts opponent on their side of the court

Heated Controversy at Roland Garros

Xinyu Wang and Germany’s Tamara Kolpacz found themselves at the center of a tense moment during their second-round match at Roland Garros, which concluded without the customary handshake.

In the third set, Wang argued over a disputed ball call. She believed a long shot she hit near the baseline should have been in, and, when the linesman ruled otherwise, she crossed over to Kolpacz’s side to check the mark herself. This action drew boos from the crowd.

Both players inspected the mark carefully, still unable to resolve their disagreement. Eventually, the referee issued a warning to Wang for her actions.

Unlike many Grand Slam events, Roland Garros does not use electronic line calling. Referees often probe the clay court for ball marks to determine calls, but human error is always a possibility.

After the match, Kolpacz described the scene: “There was a ball. It was a really long ball from her, and I saw it. I don’t know if the linesman called it or not, but there were actually two ball marks. One was old and one was new.”

She noted that both marks indicated the ball was out, but added, “I didn’t know which one was right.” Kolpacz mentioned seeing replays that confirmed the call, stating, “It was out about eight millimeters.”

Kolpacz suggested that Wang’s team might have contributed to the confusion, commenting on their overly vocal protests during the match. The lack of a handshake at the end stemmed from Wang expressing dissatisfaction with how things unfolded.

The match concluded with Kolpacz winning 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, marking her first advance to the third round of the French Open. When they met post-match, Kolpacz felt Wang accused her of unfair play and pulled her hand away during an attempted handshake, which again led to booing from the audience.

“I think she said I wasn’t a fair player or something like that,” Kolpacz explained. She defended the integrity of the match, noting the presence of reliable umpires and multiple cameras: “Honestly, for me, it’s embarrassing to cheat like that.”

Kolpacz expressed surprise at the entire altercation, highlighting that normally, their interactions are positive: “Usually we have a good relationship and are not enemies.”