The world number one Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus entered the Stuttgart WTA 500 tournament on Saturday and won the quarterfinal over Belgian Elise Mertens in two straight sets.
However, Sabalenka's disagreement with the umpire drew the most attention. When Sabalenka was trailing 4–3 in the first set, she believed a ball was in, while the umpire thought the opposite. The umpire refused to look at the mark, which prompted Sabalenka to take out her mobile phone and photograph the mark as evidence.
The umpire sulked and Sabalenka received a warning for unsportsmanlike behavior.
In an interview after the match, as referred to by BBC, Sabalenka comments on the atmosphere between her and the umpire:
When I shook hands with her, I got a very interesting look and a very firm handshake. I've never experienced that before, she says.
