Australian tennis player Marc Polmans has been sent off in the final round of qualifying at the Shanghai Masters tournament after hitting the ball in the chair umpire’s face.
Polmans, world number 140, was leading 7-6 (7/3) against Italy’s Stefano Napolitano and had just wasted his second match point in the second set tie-break when he sent a low backhand volley into the net.
The Australian then exploded in anger, hitting the ball as it bounced off the net.
His errant shot narrowly missed the ball boy before hitting chair umpire Ben Anderson in the face.
The incident was similar to the one that saw Canada Denis Shapovalov in trouble at 2017 Davis Cup.
Shapovalov was also disqualified, but his incident saw the match’s chair umpire, Arnaud Gabas, suffer a fractured eye socket.
Anderson appears to have escaped serious injury.
Polmans joins Shapovalov, Novak Djokovic and former British star Tim Henman among players to be banned from tournaments when their ball abuse hit match officials or ball boys.
Henman and his doubles partner Jeremy Bates were disqualified at Wimbledon in 1995 when the younger Henman violently slammed a ball towards the net, hitting a ball girl in the ear.
And Djokovic disqualified in fourth round of 2020 US Open when he hit a ball – although much less violently – and it hit a lineswoman.
Although all three players had very successful careers, with Djokovic being the most successful men’s singles Grand Slam winner of all time, Polmans never reached the top 100 in men’s singles.
He has also never been in the main draw of a Masters 1000 tournament.
Fellow Australian Rinky Hijikata had a better day and qualified easily for the main draw. (Getty Images: Sarah Stier)
He will not receive any ranking points during this event, nor any prize money.
Had he made it to the first round, he would have been guaranteed $29,600.
That match would have been against another qualifier, meaning Polmans had a good chance of advancing to the second round, which would have earned him a guaranteed $49,000.
The ATP has not yet said whether Polmans will face additional punishment for the incident.
The incident spoiled what was otherwise a good day for other Australians, with Rinky Hijikata, James Duckworth, world number 256 Dane Sweeny and world number 292 Philip Sekulic all securing places in the main draw in Shanghai.
They join seven other Australians led by Alex de Minaur and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the main draw.
