French Open
German opponent rages at tennis match – no handshake
May 27, 2026 – 4:20 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Tamara Korpatsch made it to the third round of the French Open for the first time in her career. But she didn’t have much to be happy about in her match.
Tamara Korpatsch celebrated perhaps the greatest success of her career at the French Open in Paris – but the moment was overshadowed by an argument with her opponent Wang Xinyu. After their 6:2, 2:6, 6:3 victory, the two players forgo the usual handshake at the net and instead had a heated discussion. The reason: a controversial scene in the first sentence.
Wang did not accept a decision and discussed it with the referee. The Hawk-Eye system had seen a Chinese ball go out of bounds, but Wang thought it was a mistake and wanted to check a ball print. The situation escalated when Wang went to Korpatsch’s side and continued to argue there. The Chinese woman then received a warning. “I said to her: Isn’t it embarrassing that she comes over here just because her box makes such an alarm?” Korpatsch later explained.
Now Switolina or Quevedo is waiting
Despite the excitement, the 31-year-old was happy about making it to the third round. “I’m very happy that I finally made it past the second round of a Grand Slam,” she said. Her next opponent will be either Jelina Svitolina from Ukraine or Spain’s Kaitlin Quevedo.
Korpatsch impressed with a courageous and tactically clever performance, which former national coach Barbara Rittner also praised: “She’s doing well, she’s wide awake, she’s thought something through.” The Hamburg native played again with sunglasses because she is sensitive to light.
Off the pitch, Korpatsch is a lone fighter on the tour. She receives support primarily from her family. “Me and my parents just did everything on our own,” she said. However, she often received little appreciation from the German Tennis Association.
