Hailey Baptiste suffered a devastating end to her French Open campaign after a freak injury led to horrifying scenes in Paris. While the American battled through the difficult ordeal, attention also turned to her father Quasim’s emotional reaction and the chair umpire’s handling of his presence, which has drawn sharp criticism from Chris Evert.
Chris Evert Criticizes French Open Umpire’s ‘Bad Decision’ Involving Hailey Baptiste’s Father
No. 26 seed Baptiste entered the French Open riding the momentum of a promising clay-court swing that included a victory over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the Madrid Open. She kicked off her Roland Garros campaign by securing a hard-fought 6-7(7), 7-6(6), 6-2 victory over Barbora Krejčíková.
The American was then expected to beat China’s Wang Xiyu in the second round but found herself trailing early in the match. With Wang serving for the set at 5-4 (40-40), Baptiste attempted a jumping cross-court forehand, but she immediately collapsed to the ground in pain after landing wrong on her left leg.
The 24-year-old’s father, Quasim, rushed to check on her from the stands as she lay on the court in agony. Chair umpire Marija Čičak also made her way to the scene and moved Baptiste’s father out of the way. The American was eventually escorted off the court in a wheelchair, forfeiting the match.
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As clips of the distressing incident circulated on social media, Chris Evert expressed disbelief at Čičak “pushing” Baptiste’s father away from the scene.
“I can’t believe the chair umpire was pushing the father away… I mean, she was clearly in pain, have some empathy!” she posted on X.
The former world No. 1 further criticized the “bad decision” from the umpire and sent her best wishes to the injured 24-year-old.
“Her father should’ve been allowed on the court with her. She was writhing in pain, bad decision, our hearts go out to you, Hailey…,” Evert commented.
Evert was not the only one to take notice of the treatment of Baptiste’s father. Although Rennae Stubbs acknowledged that the umpire was following protocol, she expressed empathy for Quasim amid the “brutal” scenes.
“Hailey’s dad jumping on court today. Honestly, I know it’s not ‘allowed’ and the umpire was doing her job, but HOLY S**T, that’s a dad seeing his baby in pain and any parent going on court when their kid is like that, it’s ok with me! I am gutted for Hailey and her team! Brutal scenes..,” she posted.
In a disappointing update, Jim Courier revealed during the TNT Sports broadcast that Hailey Baptiste’s agent has confirmed she sustained ACL and meniscus injuries. The American is expected to be sidelined for six months and will undergo surgery soon.
