The Chinese referee was unexpectedly caught up in a dispute between Russian and Ukrainian players, and the court was full of gunsmoke

In the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open, Sabalenka erupted in a controversial scene during a fierce duel with Kostyuk, when the Ukrainian player angrily argued with the referee. As the weather deteriorated and the match was briefly suspended, Kostyuk lost control of his emotions.

In this close match, Sabalenka fought tenaciously to win 7-6(4) 7-6(7) to advance to the semi-finals. The most dramatic moment of the match came in the tie-break of the second set, when Sabalenka took a 5-4 lead when she abruptly halted the match.

After the first service error, Sabalenka walked up to the referee and said that the rain was affecting the vision and that the match should be suspended. However, referee Zhang Juan decided that the rain was not strong enough to stop the game and asked her to continue playing.

Although Sabalenka then returned to serve to serve, she quickly stopped again and complained that the rain was getting into her eyes and affecting her vision. "Oh my God......! Serving when it's raining is simply impossible. I tried to send one shot, but I realized that I had to stop because the rain was getting into my eyes and it was really impossible to continue. I knew it would be a double fault if I managed to serve, and I didn't want that to happen, so I decided I couldn't continue. I'm glad I made that decision at the time. Sabalenka said after the game.

Because she insisted on not serving, the referee had to stop the match. However, the decision sparked a backlash from Kostyuk, who questioned why Sabalenka was able to regain a serve shot after the resumption of the tournament.

Kostyuk told the referee: "She waited five minutes before serving!" And then start all over again – how is this possible? Why is it still the first serve? ”

Despite the referee's attempts to calm her anger, Kostyuk insisted that Sabalenka had plenty of time to serve and that she had defied the order to continue.

She added: "Wait, she stopped on her own – no one told her to stop." With two minutes between her first serve and stoppage, she can serve ten times, which she voluntarily stopped. You tell her you have to continue, and she stops on her own again. She said 'I don't serve' and no one forced her. ”

Despite Kostyuk's protests, Sabalenka was given a chance to regain her first serve when the roof was closed and the match resumed. While the Ukrainian won the point and created several chances to reach the deciding set, Sabalenka saved three set points to claim the victory.

After the match, Kostyuk left the field without shaking Sabalenka's hand, in line with her long-standing position that she refused to shake hands with competitors from both countries due to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In a courtside interview, Sabalenka was delighted with her "extremely hard-working" victory in the quarter-finals, and the Belarusian was also proud of keeping her emotions under pressure.

"It was a tough battle and the conditions were very tough. This is not only a competition of tennis skills, but also a challenge to emotional control. I feel like I've coped well and I'm very proud of myself for being able to stay calm in such a tough situation. It's great to make it to the next round. Sabalenka said.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)