Tamara Korpatsch refused to shake hands with 32nd-seeded Chinese Wang Xinyu. This happened after Wang violated a cardinal tennis rule in the match that saw her get defeated by 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Wang went on to Korpatsch's courtside to check for the ball mark, claiming that the ball went out. The two argued about it for a few minutes before the chair umpire came onto the court. However, the line call made was accurate.

"I think she said, like, something that she thought that I’m not a fair player or something like that." Korpatsch said. "but we have one of the best chair umpires on the court, and I don’t know how to cheat, honestly."

"Actually, also on the TV, they showed the Hawk-Eye, and it was, like, eight millimeters out." She continued, "At the end, we didn’t have a handshake because she told me she’s not okay with that, with the ball marks, and everything."

This incident was similar to what happened at the 1999 French Open, when Martina Hingis went to Steffi Graf's courtside to check the ball mark for the line call.

As for Korpatsch, she goes on to the third round, after winning against Spanish Sara Sorribes in the first round, and now against Wang in the second.

A difficult challenge awaits in the next round as she faces Elina Svitolina, the 2026 Italian Open champion.

Can Tamara Korpatsch Turn The Odds In Her Favor?

Playing against Elina Svitolina, who beat the likes of Coco Gauff and Iga Świątek to win the Italian Open title, won't be a breeze. But Korpatsch is also on her finest run yet at the French Open, reaching the third round for the first time.

The seventh-seeded Ukrainian and Korpatsch will play for the first time on Friday. Recently, Korpatsch also reached the final at the WTA 125 Catalonia Open Solgironès in Spain.

Korpatsch's serve could play a vital role, with a 58.4% 1st serve wins. She also doesn't let the opponent win the game that easily, saving 56.2% break points in 2026 so far.

Her defensive coverage and mental resilience define her playing style. She excels at sustaining long rallies to pressure opponents.

Will Korpatsch be able to turn the odds? Friday's match will determine if she can maintain this momentum. But, it looks like Korpatsch isn't going to lose without a fight.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Koushik Biswas