“Always nice to play a player that's so honest”: Shang Juncheng takes sarcastic dig at Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for hitting the ball after two bounce

China’s young tennis star Shang Juncheng has hit out on Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for hitting the ball after it bounced twice in during their encounter in the Madrid Open. The 19-year-old suffered a defeat in the round of 64 of the ongoing mega-event in Madrid in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-3 on Friday.

In a video that was posted on the social media platform X — previously known as Twitter — Davidovich Fokina can be seen sliding the ball after it clearly hit the surface twice. The incident was missed by the chair umpire. Juncheng, in a post on his official account on the social media platform Instagram, hit out at the Spaniard in a sarcastic manner for showing a lack of honesty during the play. "Highlight of the day at @mutuamadridopen. Always nice to play a player that's so honest," he wrote.

During the match, Davidovich Fokina was far more superior on the first serve where he managed to win 76 per cent of points, compared to just 50 per cent from Juncheng. The 24-year-old went on to convert five break points on the day, two more than the 19-year-old. Davidovich Fokina will now face Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the round of 32 clash of the mega-event on Sunday.