Doubles Team Abruptly Eliminated After Player Fires Ball at Opponent’s Face

Bulgarian tennis player Alexander Donski and his teammate Siddhant Banthia faced disqualification from an ATP Challenger tournament in Italy after Donski accidentally struck a ball at an opposing player.

The incident transpired following a missed break point when Donski was outplayed at the net by Simone Agostini.

In a moment of frustration, Donski hit the ball hard, inadvertently striking Agostini in the face.

Agostini fell to his knees, holding his face, prompting medical staff to rush onto the court to assist him.

Donski demonstrated immediate remorse, as his action was not intended to deliberately target Agostini.

However, the regulations of tennis clearly outline that such occurrences can lead to disqualification for the involved player.

At the time of the incident, Agostini and his partner Gianluca Cadenasso were ahead 6-2, 4-4, and subsequently advanced to the semi-finals following Donski’s disqualification.

This incident recalls the infamous 2020 US Open disqualification of Novak Djokovic, who was removed from the tournament after accidentally hitting a line judge in the throat with a ball in a fit of anger.

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