Irina-Camelia Begu escapes disqualification after ’embarrassing moment’ left young fan in tears

Irina-Camelia Begu has apologised after a moment of madness left a young boy in tears during her win over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the French Open.
A frustrated Begu threw her racket onto the clay court after going 3-0 down during the third set and it bounced into the Court 13 crowd. Although it didn’t hit anyone, a young spectator sitting close-by was frightened and started crying.
Play was halted as the chair umpire called the supervisor, but the Romanian was only handed a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Alexandrova was furious with the decision and smashed a ball out of the court in anger. The 30th seed lost her rhythm after that as Bengu went on to win 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-4.
Lucky not to have been
Watch the moment as Irina-Camelia Begu throws her racquet into the crowd which caused a child in the crowd to cry #RolandGarros | #RG22 pic.twitter.com/hc7jAhy1Ba
— Eurosport (@eurosport) May 26, 2022
After the match Bengu gave the boy a hug and took photos with him before issuing an apology during her post-match press conference.
“It’s an embarrassing moment for me, so I don’t want to talk too much about it. I just want to apologise,” the 31-year-old said.
“My whole career I didn’t do something like this, and I feel really bad and sorry. So I’m just going to say again, sorry for the incident and, yeah, it was just an embarrassing moment for me.
“It was a difficult moment because I didn’t want to hit that racket. You hit the clay with the racket, but you never expect to fly that much. It was, as I said, an embarrassing moment for me and I just want to end it and not talk about it and apologise again.”
Latest
-
ATP Tour
Which ATP star was the king of the comeback in 2023?
Alexander Zverev looks set to be named the comeback player of the 2023 season.
-
Tennis Features
The 5 records Novak Djokovic could break in 2024
Novak Djokovic is an unstoppable juggernaut when it comes to breaking records.
-
Australian Open
Trio of former World No 1s go straight into Australian Open draw with Special Rankings and wildcard
Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki have been handed main draw entries.
-
Tennis News
Brisbane International sports ‘best-ever’ field with nine Grand Slam winners headed to Queensland in January
The Brisbane International in 2024 will include nine Grand Slam champions.
-
Tennis News
Maria Sharapova issues stark social media warning
Maria Sharapova recently discussed the stress imposed on today’s society by social media.
-
Tennis News
Ben Shelton thrives on personal attention from Roger Federer’s On Sports
Who backs rising star Ben Shelton?
-
WTA Tour
Historic clay-swing tournament already drawing big names with Jessica Pegula and Ons Jabeur entered
Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula have signed up for the Charleston Open.
-
WTA Tour
Iga Swiatek’s 2024 tennis schedule: Where will the world No 1 begin her new season?
Which tournaments are likely to feature on Iga Swiatek’s 2024 tennis schedule?
-
Tennis News
Novak Djokovic takes protégé Hamad Medjedovic under his wing again in another act of kindness
Hamad Medjedovic to join Novak Djokovic in Dubai.