A French Open player has been fined $10,000 by the tournament after she threw her racket and it bounced off the clay and into the stands during a match.
Irina-Camelia Begu, a 31-year-old Romanian who is ranked 63rd, was cited for unsportsmanlike conduct during the third set of her victory against 30th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round at Court 13.
The match was Thursday. The fine was announced Friday.
After dropping a point, Begu walked to the sideline and chucked her racket, which flew behind chair umpire Anis Ressaissi’s seat, landing among spectators sitting courtside. There were gasps from fans and a child could be heard crying.
Tournament referee Remy Azemar said the equipment “brushed a young spectator,” who “turned out to be OK.”
