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A screenshot showing Wang Xinyu (L) being refused a handshake by Tamara Korpatsch after their match at Roland Garros, on Court 7, Paris, France, on May 27, 2026
German player Tamara Korpatsch skipped the customary post-match handshake with Wang Xinyu after the Chinese opponent accused her of cheating in the second round of Roland Garros.
Tension erupted late in the opening set of their match on Wednesday. Wang struck a shot she believed had landed inside the baseline, only for Korpatsch to point out a ball mark outside the court.
The disagreement quickly escalated when Wang crossed the net to inspect the mark on Korpatsch's side of the clay. This action violated the rules and the line umpire Aurelie Tourte penalized Wang for unsportsmanlike conduct. The tense atmosphere lingered throughout the remainder of the match.
"There was a ball, it was really long ball from her, and I saw it out. I don’t know if the line umpires called it out or not, but there were two ball marks, actually," Korpatsch said, as quoted by Tennis Now. "And the one was the old one and the other one was the new one. Both of them were out, so it doesn’t matter."
The 95th-ranked German noted that the umpire came down to the court to determine the exact ball mark and confirmed the ball was out. Hawk-Eye replay data shown on the television broadcast also verified the ball was out of the line by approximately 8 mm.
"She told me she’s not okay with the ball marks and everything but I cannot say I gift her the point for nothing," Korpatsch added. "I’m a bit surprised because normally we have a good relationship, we are not ‘enemies.’ I didn’t give her the hand because that’s not fair for me. She was unfair to come on my side, and I’m not an unfair player."
Wang Xinyu (in white) went all the way to Tamara Korpatsch's side of the court to check where the ball has landed during their Roland Garros match on May 27, 2026.
Unlike the other three Grand Slam tournaments, Roland Garros does not rely on electronic line calling. Instead, officials inspect the physical traces left by the ball on the red clay to help them make decisions, a traditional method that leaves room for human error and disputes.
Korpatsch also defended herself against any doubts regarding her integrity.
"I don’t know how to cheat, honestly," she said, as quoted by People. "There are many cameras on court and they can check everything. It would be embarrassing to cheat like that."
The German player went on to win the match 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 after over two hours.
The victory over the 32nd-seeded Wang helped Korpatsch reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. She will next face seventh seed Elina Svitolina, who recently claimed the Italian Open title ahead of the clay-court major.
