
French Open: Swiatek says chair umpire's refusal to inspect a mark was unfair
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — Iga Swiatek said it's unfair that the chair umpire refused her request to climb down and inspect a mark during her semifinal loss to top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open on Thursday.
The incident happened when Swiatek was 4-2 up in the second set and with Sabalenka serving on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
After Sabalenka's first serve landed out, Swiatek stood still for moment before pointing her left finger at the mark while asking French chair umpire Kader Nouni to climb down and inspect it.
'I want him to come down, but he didn't. So I don't think that was fair, especially when he came down, like, every time Aryna asked him to. I don't get it, but I don't really care,' said Swiatek, whose 26-match French Open unbeaten streak ended a 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 loss.
'When I had a mark that was out, he was convincing me that I only came there because I saw that my return was out.'
After a brief exchange, Swiatek gave up.
She walked back into position to receive three-time major winner Sabalenka's second serve, albeit with a wry smile on her face. ___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis in this topic

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Zinedine Zidane snubs €100m opportunity to return to management
Real Madrid officially have a new head coach in Xabi Alonso, but one of their former managers has still yet to make his return to football – that being Zinedine Zidane. It has been four years since Zidane ended his second spell at Real Madrid, which was his last job in management. But despite this, he has had a number of opportunities to make his long-awaited return to football, with the likes of Manchester United and Marseille having shown interest over the last 12-18 months. Zinedine Zidane knocks back approach from Saudi Arabia And according to L'Equipe (via Diario AS), he has turned down another managerial opportunity in recent weeks – this time, it is Saudi Arabia that have been knocked back. Image via Reuters A few weeks ago, it was confirmed that Jorge Jesus would be leaving Al Hilal. And the Saudi Pro League identified Zidane as a leading candidate to replace him, but they have been turned down. As per the report, a contract proposal worth in excess of €100m was submitted, but the Real Madrid and France icon was not interested. Zidane has already identified his next managerial position And there is a good reason for this. Zidane missed out on taking over as head coach of the French national team in 2022 after Didier Deschamps U-turned on his decision to sign a new contract. That was a big blow for Zizou, but ever since then, he has been waiting for the opportunity to arise – and next summer, it will. It has already been confirmed that Deschamps will step down as France head coach after the 2026 World Cup, and everything points to Zidane being his replacement. Everything points to that situation playing out after next summer's tournament, and it should be a momentous occasion for the 52-year-old to manage his home nation.


San Francisco Chronicle
36 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Belmont Stakes at Saratoga is a Kentucky Derby rematch
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — The Triple Crown concludes Saturday with the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes. The race is a rematch between Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty and runner-up Journalism, who is the favorite after winning the Preakness. Derby third-place finisher Baeza also is in the field of eight. Sovereignty is racing for the first time since the first Saturday in May. Owners and trainer Bill Mott decided not to enter Sovereignty in the Preakness because of the short, two-week turnaround. Journalism is the only horse running in all three legs of the Triple Crown this year. Bob Baffert-trained Rodriguez is in the Belmont after being scratched from the Derby because of a minor foot bruise that also kept the colt out of the Preakness. The Belmont is taking place for a second consecutive time at historic Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. The New York Racing Association temporarily relocated it there while Belmont Park on Long Island undergoes nearly half a billion dollars in renovations.


San Francisco Chronicle
36 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cristiano Ronaldo is almost certain he won't play at the Club World Cup
MUNICH (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo says he's almost certain he will not be playing at the Club World Cup, dealing a blow to FIFA president Gianni Infantino's hopes of having one of soccer's biggest attractions at the tournament. The Portugal star confirmed Saturday that he received 'quite a few' offers from participating clubs to play for them at the tournament starting June 14, but had decided against accepting any of them. 'Some things make sense to talk about, other things don't, and, as a person says, you can't take part in everything,' Ronaldo said. 'You have to think about the short, medium and long term. It's a decision practically made on my part not to go to the Club World Cup, but I've had quite a few invitations to go.' 'This is irrelevant right now,' Ronaldo said when first asked about the Club World Cup. 'It makes no sense to talk about anything other than the national team.' ___