The match of the previous round of the WTA 1,000 in Cincinnati between the Russians Anastasia Potapova and Anna Kalinskaya left us an image that is less surreal since a fan who was watching the game was ejected from the court… for carrying a large Ukrainian flag.
Lola, the fan in question, had to leave the court during the match after one of the two Russian tennis players complained to the chair umpire by the presence of the Ukrainian flag in the stands.
In an interview with Local 12 News, the fan gave her version of what happened in a match that had to be suspended twice due to her presence with the Ukrainian flag. “The chair umpire told me that I was not being nice and that I had to put the flag away. They told me that he was harassing Russian tennis players. I said I wasn’t going to keep it. They continued playing for a couple of minutes and, after stopping the game again, the security guard told me: ‘Ma’am, if you don’t leave, I’m going to call the police’”.
Nevertheless, the organization of the Western & Southern Open, the Masters 1,000 and WTA 1,000 in Cincinnati, issued a statement justifying that the removal of the flag was requested due to its size. “As stated on the tournament website, flags and banners larger than 18×18 inches (or 46×46 centimeters) are prohibited. Therefore he was asked to remove the flag and, after doing so, he was allowed to continue in the tournament.
