WATCH: WTA stars involved in heated verbal clash – ‘Shut your mouth. Shut your mouth’

Shahida Jacobs
Danielle Collins in action
Danielle Collins reacts during a match

Danielle Collins and Maria Sakkari were involved in a fierce exchange at the Canadian Open with the former unimpressed with the Greek’s recklessness early during the match.

American Collins was in the ascendency as she won the opening set of the second-round clash and had a 2-1 advantage in the second set with Sakkari looking to stay on serve in the third game when it all kicked off.

Collins returned a serve to Sakkari, but it was called long and the Greek took her frustration out on the ball as she smashed it into the ground. The ball bounced up and flew into the crowd, but it didn’t hit anyone and Sakkari immediately apologised.

However, her opponent wanted to have a word with the chair umpire about the incident as she felt it was reckless and deserved to be punished. Players can be defaulted if balls hit officials or anyone in the stands – even if it was accidental.

The following exchange then took place:

Collins to chair umpire: “Did you just see that? Did you see what happened?”

Sakkari to Collins/chair umpire: “It didn’t even hit anyone. It was on the ground.”

Collins to Sakkari: “Shut your mouth. Shut your mouth.”

Sakkari to Collins: “What is your problem? I didn’t hit anyone. I framed the ball and it…”

Collins to Sakkari: “You hit the ball into the stands, Maria. You almost hit someone.”

Sakkari to Collins: “What is your problem? I didn’t hit anyone.”

The chair umpire then defused the situation as she waved for play to continue, but the moment appeared to unnerve Sakkari as Collins broke her serve to go 3-1 up although the Greek got back on serve in the next game only for the world No 48 to get two more breaks to set up the 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Tennis has had a couple of high-profile defaults in recent years with the most notable one coming at the 2020 US Open when then world No 1 Novak Djokovic was disqualified after he accidentally hit a line judge in the throat when he tried to return a ball to a ball kid.

Meanwhile, Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi were disqualified from the French Open this year when Japanese player Kato’s cross-court shot hit a ball girl on the shoulder. The pair were initially given a warning, but opponents Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo protested and Kato and Sutjiadi were eventually disqualified.

READ MORE: Disqualified doubles pair divide opinion in French Open ball girl drama

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