Puchkova Forced to Forfeit at Citi Open After Hitting Line Judge

August 2, 2013 | By Kristina Hyland
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Russian Olga Puchkova was defaulted by the WTA supervisor after she hit a line judge with a ball between points, forcing her to forfeit, although she claimed it was an accident. Puchkova was trailing 3-6, 6-3, 4-1 in her second-round match against Paula Ormaechea of Argentina at the 2013 Citi Open in Washington, D.C. She claimed that the incident was accidental and that she was “sincerely sorry.”

"I wasn’t looking where the tennis ball would go," Puchkova said. WTA supervisor Melanie Tabb said even though Puchkova insisted it was an accident, the rules still required that Puchkova be kicked out of the tournament.

“It’s not just the intention that matters. It’s the result of her action. And she did hit the line (judge). And he was bruised on his knee from the ball, because it was hit very hard,” Tabb said.


Kristina Hyland
Intern, Long Island Tennis Magazine

Kristina Hyland is from Lynbrook, NY. She is a senior at the University of Dayton in Ohio, majoring in public relations and minoring in political science. Kristina is interning for Long Island Tennis Magazine during the Summer of 2013. She can be reached at kristinah@litennismag.com.

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