A tennis fan, who was draped in Ukraine flag, was kicked out of a match between two Russian players at the Cincinnati Masters.
During a qualifying match between Russian players Anna Kalinskaya and Anastasia Potapova on Sunday, one of the players reportedly complained to the WTA chair umpire Morgane Lara about the fan.
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The umpire was then seen leaning over the barrier to address Lola about the flag draped around her body.
Watching the communist @WTA at work was something…they made her leave for silently protesting the Russian Invasion. @CincyTennis @TheDolgo pic.twitter.com/prUzMpLmyC
— Trashy Tennis (@TrashyTennis) August 14, 2022
Though she had been sitting quietly and sticking to tennis etiquette during the match, she was asked to leave the stands.
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“Per the Western & Southern Open’s bag policy, as stated on the tournament’s website, flags or banners larger than 18 x 18 are prohibited,” a spokesperson for the tournament told news agency Reuters.
“Therefore, the patron was asked to remove the flag from the grounds and after doing so was allowed to remain at the tournament.
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“Any inquiries about the chair umpire should be directed to the WTA Tour.”
The WTA Tour did not respond to a request for comment.
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The two countries have been at war since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
