A tense quarter-final match at the Arizona Tennis Classic witnessed a dramatic escalation as two tennis professionals had to be physically separated to prevent a fight.
Alexander Bublik and Corentin Moutet clashed intensely following their match last week, leading to a heated confrontation.
Bublik, aged 27, secured victory against Moutet, 25, with set scores of 2-6, 7-6, 7-5.
The tension peaked towards the match’s conclusion when Bublik was serving for the win at 6-5 in the final set.
As Bublik prepared to serve, Moutet was not in position and attempted to delay him.
Moutet was heard shouting, “I’m not ready!” to which Bublik retorted, “I don’t care.”
The crowd’s laughter followed Bublik’s response, but the animosity between the players clearly persisted beyond the match.
Video footage has emerged showing the two tennis stars in a face-to-face confrontation.
The chair umpire, Marta Mrozinska, along with another official, intervened to separate the players as Bublik challenged Moutet to a fight.
Bublik was heard taunting his opponent to “meet outside” as he was escorted away from the court.
Bublik exclaimed, “You want to meet outside? Let’s go! You want to fight?!”
“The French kid is talking but doesn’t want to fight. Let’s go. We’ll meet outside in ten minutes.”
Fortunately, the situation was de-escalated, and a physical altercation was avoided.
