Caroline Garcia showed a wonderful touch of sportsmanship during her third-round match at the 2023 Guadalajara Open against American player Hailey Baptiste.
Garcia, the third seed at the tournament, was locked in a tight battle against Baptise, who had stunned former WTA No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the previous round. The French player won the first set 7-5 but was a break down in the early goings of the second set.
It was during the sixth game of the second stanza when Garcia declined the umpire's original call of handing her the opening point after what transpired before that. Garcia won a baseline exchange by firing a smash winner that kissed the outside of the line.
Initially, it was called out by the line umpire, but after requesting a Hawk-Eye review, Garcia's challenge was successful, and the chair umpire Cecilia Alberti rescinded the original call, judging that Garcia had won the point with a clean winner.
But Baptiste protested that she had actually played the point and was going to 'make' the ball after the smash, saying, 'I could have put the backhand anywhere I wanted.' The umpire insisted it was a winner in her eyes.
As Baptiste and the chair umpire were entangled in a discussion, Garcia interjected and asked for the point to be replayed, overturning the Hawk-Eye's decision by the umpire. The fans applauded the French player, and the TV match commentators praised Garcia for her lovely gesture.
Garcia recovered in that game, winning the next four points to get the break back. And the scoreboard pressure proved insurmountable for the American undercard who was broken to love in the last game of the match.
The 29-year-old Garcia set up an enticing quarterfinal encounter against Belarus' Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinal in one of the most open WTA 1000 fields on the calendar. You can check Garcia's great sportsmanship in the video below.
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