Trouble at the WTA tournament in Miami: Because the American Taylor Townsend committed a clear violation of the rules in her match against the Italian Lucia Bronzetti but did not admit it, she came under fire after the game.
The first round match between Taylor Townsend and Lucia Bronzetti at the WTA tournament in Miami was not only a topic of conversation on social media. The stumbling block was a rally that occurred towards the end of the third set.
What happened? After more than two hours of play, Townsend had the victory with scores of 3:6, 6:3 and 5:4. The tenth service game in the decisive set also went her way early on. The American quickly took a 30-0 lead and served three match points.
Tennis star does not admit any clear mistakes
In the following rally, the American moved to the net. Her Italian opponent started to praise, which sailed over Townsend. The local hero sprinted after the ball, but saw early on that it would go out of bounds. Shortly before the ball hit the ground, it clearly touched Townsend’s racket – so the point should have gone to Bronzetti. But instead of 30:15 it was suddenly 40:0.
While the chair umpire didn’t see the stick contact, Townsend didn’t admit it. The Italian protested immediately and claimed the point, but her opponent just shrugged her shoulders and didn’t even think about admitting her mistake.
Fans are angry about Townsend’s behavior
“I don’t know what’s worse… the referee or the player denying it,” Bronzetti wrote in an Instagram post after the match, expressing her anger at the situation.
The number 49 in the world rankings received great support on social media, where the scene was posted. One fan described Townsend’s action as “absolute rubbish”, another wrote about the American’s “poor behavior”. Nevertheless, the world number 72 also received approval. No fewer users wrote that the main responsibility lies with the referee and not the player.
2024-03-20 19:29:00
#Tennis #Cheating #scandal #Miami
