(Video) Denis Shapovalov hits chair umpire during his Basel Open quarterfinal, rushes to apologize
As Denis Shapovalov tried to return a shot with a single backhand, he hit the chair umpire in his head and had to apologize immediately.
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Denis Shapovalov hits chair umpire (Images via The Times of Israel, Reddit)
Denis Shapovalov accidentally hit the chair umpire during his quarterfinal match at the Basel International. The Canadian was playing against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard when the incident took place. Trying to return a shot, Shapovalov hit umpire Mohamed Lahyani on his head. The player then quickly ran to apologize and shook hands.
In the initial moments of the match, Shapovalov faced a scare as he hit the chair umpire. The Canadian was faced with a fierce serve from Perricard and Shapovalov tried to return it with a single-handed backhand. But he could not control the shot and managed just a touch.
The ball bounced off his racket, lobbed toward the chair umpire, and hit him in the head. Shapovalov then immediately ran to apologize. Afterwards, they shook hands. Lahyani, meanwhile, could only laugh about it and accepted the player’s apology. The play then continued as usual.
Unforced error ?#SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/5gfFU80NwX
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 25, 2024
Denis Shapovalov loses to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in Basel Quarterfinal
Denis Shapovalov‘s 2024 season has not been as per the expectations. The Canadian has won only 21 out of the 42 matches played this season. On Friday, he lost to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard as the Frenchman edged out his opponent 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (3) at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel.
The two players fought hard for two hours. The Frenchman’s 27 aces turned out to be the standout stat of the match as he booked his first ATP 500-level semi-final spot with 46 winners and one break point conversion, saving three break points to keep his serve intact throughout.
Perricard, ranked 50 in the world, will take on fourth seed Holger Rune in the semifinal. Before toppling Shapovalov, the 21-year-old Frenchman won against Australian qualifier James Duckworth 7-6 (4), 6-3 and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No. 8 seed, 6-1, 7-6 (6).
On the other hand, the 25-year-old Canadian beat Chinese Juncheng Shang 6-1, 6-4, and Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the first two rounds, but could not upset Perricard.
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Ritesh Pathak
(2150 Articles Published)