Sloane Stephens and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova were involved in a fiery meeting at the China Open on Sunday.
The American took exception when her opponent called for the trainer as Stephens served for the second set. Stephens believed it was a tactic to put her off her stride, and she was broken when Pavlyuchenkova resumed play. At the changeover, with Stephens leading 5-4, the two approached each other, with the American still unhappy about her opponent’s tactics. “That’s the sport we play. Right? Sportsmanship. That’s really important,” she told the umpire, Jenny Zhang.
Here's what happened so far between Sloane Stephens and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Beijing. Neither normally confrontational players. pic.twitter.com/LCfM1Cr1b7
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) September 30, 2018
Zhang then stood between the two players as Pavlyuchenkova called her opponent disrespectful. “I’m disrespectful? What’s disrespectful? You called the physio at 5-2. You’re not even injured,” Stephens said. “How do you know I’m not injured?” Pavlyuchenkova replied.
Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, went on to win the match after she took the third set 6-4, but not before tensions escalated again. Midway through the deciding set Pavlyuchenkova had the chance to put the ball away at the net but instead aimed her volley at Stephens. The American managed to return the shot and win the point. As she returned to the baseline she appeared to mumble “Fucking bitch tried to hit me.”
Stephens plays Zheng Saisai on Tuesday. No disciplinary action has been taken against Stephens or Pavlyuchenkova.
