(VIDEO) Jelena Ostapenko's hilarious interaction with ball kid leaves tennis fans in stitches: "She dropped the mask for a second"

Jelena Ostapenko accidentally bumped into a ball kid during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships amid her victory over Xiyu Wang (No. 64) with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. The Latvian player continues her impressive performance in 2024, securing her 16th win of the season and leading the tour in the most wins during the season.

'Penko' overcame a challenging start in the first round against the Chinese player and was in a tough battle in the third set when the curious situation occurred. Wang was serving in the third set at 2-2, 0-40 when a ball kid picked up a ball near Ostapenko and accidentally bumped into the former French Open champion.

Known for her controversial on-court attitude, Ostapenko had a friendly reaction to the incident, offering a smile to the ball kid, which caught the attention of fans on social media. Just a few days ago, Ostapenko stirred controversy after her match against Victoria Azarenka in the Qatar Open, where, after being defeated, she offered her racket to 'Vichka' for a hit instead of the usual handshake at the net.

Social media users playfully commented on Ostapenko's amiable reaction this time, highlighting that the ball kid "was lucky" to experience the good humor of the world No. 9:

“She dropped the mask for a second,” wrote some user. “If the opponent was Torribes Tormo or Bouzkova, they would tell the umpire there was blood,” another one added.

“Penko can be a menace at the court but she is always nice to the ball kids <3,” another Ostapenko follower wrote. “They could never make me hate her!”