It’s not always easy to keep your composure on the tennis court.
A Round of 32 Canadian Open match between Maria Sakkari, a Greek player ranked No. 8 in the world, and American Danielle Collins broke into a loud argument when Sakkari spiked a ball into the crowd.
As Collins led 6-4, 2-1 in the second set, Sakkari grew frustrated when she missed her serve, smacking a ball off the ground into the crowd and quickly raising her hand to apologize to the chair umpire and spectators.
Collins, however, wasn’t pleased with the lack of discipline handed down to Sakkari.
“Did you just see that? Did you see what happened?” she said to the chair umpire.
“It didn’t even hit anyone, it was on the ground,” a clearly agitated Sakkari responded.
“Shut your mouth, shut your mouth,” Collins snapped back.
Sakkari maintained that she had no malicious intent by hitting the ball into the crowd.
“What is your problem? I didn’t hit anyone. I framed the ball and it —,” Sakkari said before being cut off.
“You hit the ball into the stands Maria, you almost hit someone,” Collins said.
After Sakkari continued to insist she did not hit anyone, the chair umpire attempted to calm the stirring crowd down and the two resumed play.
Collins ultimately won the match 6-4, 6-2, downing the higher-ranked player as she advanced to play Leylah Fernandez on Thursday.
The two were able to quell their tension after the match, shaking hands as they walked off the court.
Collins had lost the two previous meetings with Sakkari before Wednesday, last falling in a three-setter in Guadalajara in 2022.
Sakkari, who has been a semifinalist at two Grand Slams — the French Open and the U.S. Open — reached the final of the Mubadala Citi DC Open last week, where she lost to Coco Gauff.
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