A Russian tennis star ejected a spectator from a qualifying match at the Western & Southern Open because they were draped in a Ukrainian flag, it has emerged. The fan in question – Lola – was confronted by a WTA referee and tournament security in Cincinnati on two separate occasions. In the first set of the all-Russian clash between Anna Kalinskaya and Anastasia Potapova on Court 8, one of the players complained about Lola to the chair umpire. Lola also wore a Ukrainian wreath of flowers, known as a vinok, and watched the match silently, without disturbing. After the complaint, WTA referee Morgane Lara approached Lola and said it was “not nice” to have the flag in the stands, as the fan responded that it was “not nice to invade a country”. And things escalated when one of the tournament’s security judges standing on the field became “aggressive” and threatened to call the police if he didn’t leave the stand. JUST IN: Rusedski lifts the lid on private chat with Nadal’s coach in Cincinnati Express Sport requested a comment from the Western & Southern Open, who cited the flag rule in their response. “In accordance with the Western & Southern Open’s baggage policy, as stated on the tournament website, flags or banners larger than 18 x 18 are prohibited. Therefore, the woman was asked to return her large flag to her vehicle,” a statement said. statement. Russian and Belarusian tennis players have been competing as neutrals without any mention of their country or flag since March 1, when the ATP, WTA and ITF issued a joint statement announcing the news following the invasion of Ukraine.
