Men’s eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti has escaped disqualification from the French Open after accidentally kicking a ball into a line judge.
The Italian needed four sets to beat Frances Tiafoe and reach the semifinals in Paris for the first time, but was lucky to advance after kicking a ball towardsthe wall, which hit a line judge in the shoulder.
The second set incident meant Musetti received a code violation warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Tiafoe was disappointed after the match, saying the lack of punishment was “comical” while Musetti said he was “scared” of potentially being thrown out of the tournament.
Frances Tiafoe says Lorenzo Musetti not being penalized for this was comical
“He did that & nothing happened. I think that's comical. It is what it is. Nothing happened. So there's nothing to talk about. Obviously it's not consistent. It is what it is.”
“Honestly it was really unlucky coincidence,” said Musetti.
“I was a little bit, honestly, scared, because I really didn’t want to harm nobody, of course.
“I immediately went to the line umpire, and I of course said sorry. I apologise to everyone.
“It was right to have a warning, but I think the umpire saw that there was no intention about that, and that’s why he probably just let me continue my game.”
Musetti will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final four.
