Karolina Pliskova attacks umpire's chair after disputed line call during Eastbourne loss
Karolina Pliskova ended her run at the 2023 Eastbourne Open in the second round. However, her match did not lack any drama. Pliskova faced No. 9 seed Daria Kasatkina in the second round. The match was a gritty three-setter which the Russian eventually managed to scrap through 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Apart from the quality tennis displayed by both women, the match also featured a dramatic moment when Pliskova lost her composure after a disputed line call. A forehand by Kasatkina, which was deemed on the line by the line umpire, was adjudged long by Pliskova. The 31-year-old raised her hand in protest while returning the ball, after which Kasatkina hit a winner and won the game.
Since there are video replays at Eastbourne, the line umpire's call stood, and Pliskova was visibly furious. She hit the umpire's chair with her racket on her way back to her seat and then angrily threw the racket on the ground.
Pliskova VS umpires PART53736 😂 https://t.co/xMt3CATkGZ
Pliskova faced Kasatkina after winning her first-round match against Elise Mertens. The Belgian retired from the encounter at 6-7(3), 6-3, 3-0.
The incident in Eastbourne is not the first time Karolina Pliskova has vented out his frustration on the umpire's chair. After her second-round loss to Maria Sakkari at the 2018 Italian Open, Pliskova repeatedly hit the umpire's chair with her racket, breaking parts of the chair.
This happened after Pliskova's smash at 5-5 in the third set that was called wide. She argued over the call, but since neither the chair umpire nor the line umpire could locate a mark, the original call stood. Pliskova was handed a four-figure fine over her display.
I have never seen Pliskova like this. https://t.co/nAI5OcMjdH
It is unclear as of now if any action will be taken against Pliskova over her hitting the umpire chair in Eastbourne.
Karolina Pliskova struggles on the grass in 2023
Karolina Pliskova's second-round exit in Eastbourne came after she ended her run at the Berlin Open in the first round. Pliskova faced fellow Czech and eventual champion Petra Kvitova in the first round in Berlin. The World No. 9 breezed past 6-4, 6-3.
While Pliskova managed to sneak in a victory in Eastbourne, albeit via her opponent's retirement in the first round, her second-round loss to Kasatkina prolongs her woes on the surface, where she has found incredible success in the past.
In addition to being the finalist of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships (lost to Ashleigh Barty in the final), Karolina Pliskova has three titles on grass - 2019 and 2017 Eastbourne and 2016 Nottingham.