WATCH: Emotions boil over in Lyon – ‘Screaming like a b***h’
Sebastian Baez and Marton Fucsovics will not be exchanging Christmas cards this year – perhaps ever – as the pair clashed during the first-round of the Lyon Open.
World No 44 Baez came out on top with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) victory in a match that lasted just over two hours, but it was a fiery affair as the tempers boiled over.
Fucsovics was unimpressed that his Argentine rival was constantly shouting “Vamos” (let’s go) during the match, some of the cheering even came when the Hungarian made unforced errors.
Midway during the second set, the world No 80’s frustrations got the better of him as he asked Baez during a changeover: “How old are you? 12 years old?”
The Argentine answered: “No, 22.”
And Fucsovics’s reply was pretty brutal after that as he said: “You are acting like a 12-year-old. These f***ing young 20 years old guys. Not that he is the only one. Playing so unfair. ‘Vamos’ for every point I miss. Screaming like a b***h.”
The chair umpire then intervened and said: “It’s okay you talk with me. But I don’t want this kind of language. I understand that you are frustrated and that you don’t like it, but I don’t want these words. I am happy to talk to you about it.”
Fucsovics then decided to drag Cameron Norrie into the conversation after the British No 1 came under fire from 22-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic at the Italian Open for constantly shouting during their match.
The Hungarian believes Norrie pulled the same trick against him during their third-round encounter in Rome.
“It was the same last week, I don’t know, against Norrie. They are allowed to do this. I know. But this is too much,” he moaned.
But the official again urged him “please, don’t use that word”.
Baez of course had the last laugh – and probably the last “Vamos” – as he broke to love in game three of the first set. After breaking in game five of the second set, he was pegged back in game eight only for Baez to break again.
The 22-year-old then came out to serve for the match at 5-4, but Fucsovics saved two matches points as he broke again to take it to a tie-breaker, but Baez edged it to take the match.
Sixth seed Baez will face his compatriot Pedro Cachin in the second round while he could meet second seed Norrie in the quarter-final, but the Brit will have to get past David Goffin first.
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