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Aryna Sabalenka Swears at Fan in Italian Open Loss to Qinwen Zheng

Aryna Sabalenka lost her cool with a fan during her loss to Qinwen Zheng in Rome.
Pat Benson|
Aryna Sabalenka shouted back at a fan during her match against Qinwen Zheng in the Italian Open.
Aryna Sabalenka shouted back at a fan during her match against Qinwen Zheng in the Italian Open. | IMAGO / Italy Photo Press

Clay court season is heating up, and so is the tension during tennis matches. The fans in attendance at the Italian Open (Internazionali BNL d'Italia) have repeatedly been in the headlines for clashing with players.

On Wednesday evening, Qinwen Zheng defeated Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets of the Italian Open quarterfinal: 6-4, 6-3. It was Zheng's first win against Sabalenka in seven attempts, and Sabalenka lost her cool with a fan during the intense match.

After winning the first set, Zheng was preparing to serve 1-0 30/0 in the second set when a fan shouted at Sabalenka. A voice from the crowd said, "Come on, Aryna, play tennis."

Sabalenka turned around and shouted back, "Shut the f*** up." The chair umpire immediately issued a code violation for using an audible obscenity.

While Sabalenka is a fiery player on the court, it is highly unusual for her to be verbally combative with a fan. In addition to being the WTA World No. 1, Sabalenka also leads the sport in good vibes. She is a fan-favorite thanks to her hilarious interviews and viral TikTok dances.

The Belarusian superstar will now have plenty of time off before Roland Garros. It will be interesting to see if she uses it to rest and train or add another tournament to her schedule to stay in the groove of playing on clay courts.

All three of Sabalenka's Grand Slam titles have come on hard courts, but she has never advanced beyond the French Open semifinal.

Only three of her 20 singles career titles have come on clay, the remaining 17 on hard courts. The most recent being the Madrid Open earlier this month.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers professional tennis for Serve on Sports Illustrated, reporting on ATP and WTA events worldwide. From Challenger tournaments to Grand Slams, he brings readers in-depth coverage, daily recaps, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. With a decade of experience in sports journalism, Pat is recognized as a trusted voice in tennis media. You can contact him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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