'Made Trouble For Herself': Zhang's Opponent Speaks Out After Incident

A huge controversy happened at the WTA event in Budapest, which caused Shuai Zhang to retire from her match with a panic attack.

The Chinese player has been having a very tough time on the Tour recently after being unable to return to China for the past three years following a dispute with the Chinese Tennis Federation.

The long-standing veteran is one of the most respected players on Tour, which is why the tennis community rallied around her after the incident at the 2023 Budapest Open.

She was facing a native player, Kiara Toth, who, in the words of many, behaved in a disrespectful manner towards a seasoned pro who is well-liked on the Tour. The fallout essentially saw Zhang retire from the match after experiencing a panic attack.

Her opponent was spotted celebrating the 'win', which angered many fellow WTA players, who saw the situation on social media. Maria Sakkari, for example, called for the ban of Toth, while several others expressed huge disappointment with the whole situation and behaviour.

That moment came after Zhang wasn't happy about one of the line calls, and her opponent erased the mark, which the Chinese player didn't like at all.

Toth herself has remained silent for much of it but briefly commented on the situation on Hungarian radio station Radio Kossuth. Her words didn't go down well with many fans as she basically blamed Zhang for escalating the situation by wanting to overrule the umpire.

There were very few winners in this situation, even though Toth might secure another win if she beats Kateryna Baindl in Budapest. However, because of the Hungarian's previous behavior, most of the tennis community will be hoping for a win from Baindl, and the Ukrainian is heavily favoured in the second-round match against the Hungarian.