French Open star forced to retire after horror fall into advertising hoarding
French Open star forced to retire after horror fall into advertising hoarding
Amos Murphy Fri, May 29, 2026 at 12:03 PM UTC
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Tennis news
Zeynep Sonmez went flying into the ad board (Image: @Eurosport_ES)
Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sonmez was compelled to withdraw from her women's doubles match at the French Open following an unusual accident.
Competing alongside Tatjana Maria, the pair were up against Dayana Yastremska and Anhelina Kalinina in their second-round clash at the French Open.
During the opening moments of the match, Sonmez was chasing down a ball near the back of the court when she stumbled over a small advertising board. It comes as a tennis star breaks the silence on Serena Williams' partnership comeback.
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Positioned approximately three meters behind the baseline at the rear of the court, the obstruction nonetheless proved problematic during play.
The collision sent Sonmez crashing into the wall, necessitating urgent treatment from medical staff. Following assessment by the physiotherapist, it was determined that Sonmez was unable to carry on, resulting in the team's withdrawal merely three points into the opening set.
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Predictably, spectators directed their fury at tournament officials for positioning the boards in such a hazardous location, with @TimTtam77 posting online: "People talked about this just yesterday and how dangerous it is. If Roland Garros had listened, this injury would have never happened today..."
@AliceStainer commented: "This is ridiculous. Poor Sonmez!"
@ScapularTwitch remarked: "I don't know why they've ever allowed these ads that are clearly in the players' way. Mind-boggling." @popalorena commented: "Unfortunately it happened again today, and unfortunately Sonmez wasn't lucky to avoid an injury and she was forced to retire. @rolandgarros do you even care about the players after all these incidents?"
Sonmez had previously exited the singles competition after losing her opening match to Daria Kasatkina. Currently ranked 66th globally, she has advanced to the third round of a major tournament twice - at Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open this year.
She's not alone among French Open competitors affected by this issue, as Katie Boulter also voiced her concerns on social media regarding their positioning. She posted on X: "THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO. Got lucky last night but next time I might not be..."
The French Tennis Federation has been contacted for a response.
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Source: “AOL Sports”
