Russian star Karatsev smashes ball into crowd during mid-match breakdown, Lopez angry at Aussie fans

Kieran Francis

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Russian star Karatsev smashes ball into crowd during mid-match breakdown, Lopez angry at Aussie fans image

Russian star Aslan Karatsev has endured a mid-match meltdown which saw the 2021 Australian Open semi-finalist slam a ball into the crowd and smash his racquet on the court.

The incident happened during Karatsev's first round match against Spaniard Jaume Munar, after the 18th seed lost the first set 6-3 on KIA Arena.

Early in the second set, Karatsev fell behind another break and lost his cool, smashing a ball into the crowd before banging his racquet into the court surface.

 


 

Karatsev was handed a penalty point punishment by the chair umpire after the racquet incident.

However, the 28-year-old rallied in the second set to clinch it in a tiebreaker, with the match currently tied at 4-4 in the third set.

Karatsev reached the 2021 Australian Open semi-final after getting in to the main field via the qualifiers.

He defeated Diego Schwartzman, Felix-Auger Aliassime and Gregor Dimitrov on his run to the last four.

But he was stopped in the semi-final by eventual champion and world no.1 Novak Djokovic.

Spanish veteran annoyed by Australian crowd

Forty-year-old Spaniard Feliciano Lopez didn't take too kindly to the boistorous Australian crowd during his first-round match with John Millman.

With Millman up two-sets-to-love at Margaret Court Arena, Lopez got the first break of the third set and then turned his frustrations to Australian supporters he accused of making noise as he was serving.

 

 

Millman went on to win the match in four sets 6-1 6-3 4-6 7-5 and will play the winner of Alexander Zverev and Daniel Altmaier in the second round.

Despite bowing out, Lopez became only the second 40-year-old male to compete in the Australian Open main draw.

Kieran Francis

Kieran Francis Photo

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at The Sporting News based in Melbourne, Australia. He started at Sportal.com.au before being a part of the transition to Sporting News in 2015. Just prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was appointed chief editor of Goal.com in Australia. He has now returned to The Sporting News where his passions lay in football, AFL, poker and cricket - when he is not on holiday.