Zhang's Emotional Retirement: Tearful Exit from the Court as Opponent Wipes Out Record

 

China's Zhang Shuai retired from her match at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Tuesday, visibly upset, after her opponent, Amarissa Toth, removed a ball mark on the clay court following a contentious line call.

As the second seed, Zhang hit a crosscourt forehand that seemed to land on the line but was called out by the line judge. The chair umpire then came down to inspect the mark and confirmed that the ball had indeed landed outside the line.

Furious with the call, Zhang requested to speak with the tournament supervisor. The match continued for one more point, but the dispute over the call persisted. Toth then walked up to the mark and used her shoes to erase it.

Zhang protested, shouting, "Wait, wait, wait! Keep the mark. What are you doing? Why would you do that?"

During the changeover, Zhang appeared visibly distressed, and a physio was called to check on her. Ultimately, Zhang, ranked 28th in the world, decided to retire while trailing 6-5 in the opening set of their round of 32 match in Budapest.

Tournament organizers defended the chair umpire's decision, stating, "Thousands of cases like this happen all over the world. In this situation, it is the chair umpire who counts, who has awarded the point," according to the tournament's communications chief, Erik Siklos, speaking to state news agency MTI.

The local crowd jeered Zhang's retirement, but Toth shook hands with her before celebrating her victory. Zhang later took to Instagram to express her dissatisfaction with the call and thanked those who supported her.

Toth's actions were quickly criticized by fellow players on social media. Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic wrote on Twitter, "Absolutely disgusting behaviour. Shuai is a better person than a lot of us for shaking the ref and that girl's hand."

Australian doubles player Ellen Perez said Toth had lost the respect of her peers, stating, "I'm actually shook by the level of disrespect from this girl... If I see this girl tomorrow, I will tell her how disgusted I am."

Toth defended her decision to erase the mark, telling state radio Kossuth, "I didn't understand why she made such a fuss about it, that she wanted to overrule the umpire's decision. I don't understand why she didn't accept it, all in all, it was she who was looking for trouble."