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.
