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Coco Gauff missed the Paris Olympics on Tuesday after a heated argument with the umpire as Rafael Nadal prepared to return to the court, ultimately being scolded by Donna Vekic.
With temperatures soaring to around 30 degrees Celsius at Roland Garros, officials activated the heat protocol, allowing a 10-minute break between the second and third sets.
In the first match at the Court Philippe Chatrier, Vekic defeated Gauff 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals, but the atmosphere of the match was not so pleasant due to a long argument between the US Open champion and the chair umpire.
Gauff, who along with NBA star LeBron James was the U.S. flag bearer at the Olympics opening ceremony, started quickly but squandered three set points before her Croatian opponent won the first-set tiebreak.
The two exchanged break points early in the second set, but the match stalled at the end of the sixth game as an emotional Gauff made her case to the umpire.
When the score was 30-40, Vekic returned a deep forehand shot to Gauff, but the American hit it into the net.
Vekic’s shot was ruled out of bounds, but the umpire overturned the call, giving the Croatian the point and her chance. Gauff argued that the initial call hurt her shot.
“I have to defend myself all the time,” Gauff, 20, said as she cried on the court. “I was cheated in this match. You guys were not fair to me.”
Later, a calmer Gauff called for Roland Garros’ video replay system to be brought in line with that at other Grand Slam venues.
“I can’t say if I had won that point I would have won the match, but for sure it was not a break point and replaying that point could have had a big impact on the match,” she said.
The 21st-ranked Vekic lost her composure at one point and fell behind 0-40 in her own service game before recovering to hold serve and breaking again to seal the win.
The Wimbledon semi-finalist said the altercation that crossed the line was a “tricky situation”.
“After that, it felt a little tough for the crowd,” she said. “I lost a few points, but I’m glad I came back in that match because it was an important match.”
Defending men’s singles champion Alexander Zverev of Germany eased into the third round with a 6-3, 7-5 win over No. 39 Czech player Tomasz Machak.
In the women’s draw, three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber of Germany advanced to the quarterfinals along with eighth seed Danielle Collins of the United States and Zheng Qinwen of China.
Women’s singles world number one Iga Swiatek will aim to make it 24 straight wins on clay in Paris in her evening match against China’s Wang Xiyu.
– “Nada Lakalaz” –
Nadal, a 14-time French Open champion, was eliminated by old rival Novak Djokovic in three straight sets in their 60th meeting on Monday.
The 38-year-old, immortalised in a statue at Roland Garros, has been plagued by injuries in recent years and is currently ranked 161st in the world.
Nadal said after his heavy defeat to Djokovic that he will make a decision on his future after the Olympics.
However, the Spaniard, who won singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and doubles gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, could still win a medal in doubles alongside current French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.
They will face the Dutch duo of Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof.
Britain’s three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray is playing his final tournament alongside doubles partner Dan Evans.
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