Katerina Siniakova faces a fine after throwing her racket in frustration during her defeat to Anna Kalinskaya at the Italian Open. The world No. 1 women’s doubles player failed to convert any of her nine match points before being beaten 4-6 7-6(4) 7-5 in Rome.
Siniakova, 29, had five chances in the second set before losing a tiebreaker and another four in the third while serving for the win. The match extended to just shy of three and a half hours, hardly ideal for the 11-time major champion, who played with a heavily strapped right knee after twisting it while winning the Madrid Open doubles final with Taylor Townsend.
Frustrations boiled over after losing a 12-shot rally after playing the point after Kalinskaya saved an eighth match point. After being unable to get across to a return from her opponent in the third deuce of their tenth game during a decisive third set, Siniakova turned around and threw her racket at the advertising boards behind her.
“Oh wow, oh wow,” Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend responded. “Siniakova was driving balls against the backboards in frustration; now she’s flinging the racket.”
After watching a replay, he added: “Oh, you’ve gotta be so, so careful there. If that had skewed off that advertising board and hit the ball kid, that would have been Siniakova out, having had eight match points; she’s lucky.”
However, she may not be so lucky when it comes to avoiding a fine from the WTA Tour. Players regularly have to pay up after receiving a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct; however, it is unclear whether the chair umpire did take action at the time.
Siniakova was on the opposite side of such racket abuse earlier this year at Indian Wells. Mirra Andreeva threw her racket across the court during their match, then smashed it into the ground beside her bench while being given a code violation.
The Czech player did not go that far, though, and continued playing after picking her racket back up. She saved the subsequent break point and forced another match point straight after, but could still not get over the line.
Kalinskaya eventually won the final three games to complete the most remarkable comeback. Belinda Bencic awaits in the third round after beating Bianca Andreescu in straight sets 6-4, 6-1.