A heated debate between Sloane Stephens and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova highlighted a cracking affair at the China Open in Beijing on Sunday. Stephens who protested Pavlyuchenkova’s decision to take a Medical timeout for a right shoulder injury before her opponent served for the second set, pressed the issue at the conclusion of the second set, at which time the Russian stepped in to defend her honor.
It was a heated debate that started when Stephens complained to chair umpire Jenny Zhang about what she believed to be gamesmanship by Pavlyuchenkova. The Russian took offense and eventually made her way towards Stephens’ chair with Zhang taking care to keep the two separated.
After the set concluded Pavlychenkova told Stephens that she was being disrespectful. Stephens had a reply ready for that. “What’s disrespectful? You call the physio at 5-2—you’re not even injured,” she said, adding: “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Pavlyuchenkova, now being restrained by Zhang on Stephens’ side of the court, countered: “You don’t even know if I’m injured or not,” she said.
Stephens claimed that she was not directly speaking to Pavlyuchenkova and that she was not being disrespectful. The Russian says that Stephens’s comments, though aimed at the umpire, were meant for her to hear.
Stephens snagged the third set to complete her 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-4 victory and after the match the two met at the net and appeared to work things out as they shook hands.
“I’m sorry,” Stephens said, asking: “It’s all good?”
Time will tell…
The American wins in Asia for the first time since 2015, she will face Zheng Saisai of China in round two.
Other seeded winners on Sunday in Beijing were third-seeded Angelique Kerber (d. Mladenovic), fourth-seeded Caroline Garcia (d. Wang Yafan), eleventh-seeded Kiki Bertens (d. Cirstea) and seventeenth-seeded Madison Keys (d. Pera).
Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur took out top-seeded Simona Halep, who had to retire with back issues after dropping the first set.
Dominika Cibulkova (d. Duan), Anastasija Sevastova (d. Cornet), Timea Babos (d. Hsieh), Lesia Tsurenko (d. Petkovic), Polona Hercog (d. Vandeweghe), Kirsten Flipkens (d. Boulter) and Laura Siegemund (d. Kasatkina RET) also moved through on Sunday in Beijing.