A brawl broke out after a tennis match on Monday in Ghana when a 15-year-old player punched his opponent after losing a match in the first round of an ITF junior tournament.
Video footage shows French tennis player Michael Kouame meeting Ghana’s Raphael Nii Ankrah on center court, where he appeared to reach for a handshake but instead slapped Ankrah in the face.
Although it’s unclear what prompted Kouame to punch his opponent, the move sparked a full-scale brawl, according to videos posted to social media.
The footage was originally shared by the Functional Tennis podcast, which took to an Instagram story on Tuesday to say that they had decided to remove the clip. A tennis coach in Ghana obtained the footage and posted it on Twitter.
Ankrah defeated Kouame – who was seeded and entering the tournament as No. 1 – in three sets (6-2, 6-7, 7-6) to advance to the second round where he faced Ishmael Nii Nortey Dowuona, also of, Ghana will compete.
Ankrah will return to the court for a doubles match against Italy’s Davide Brunetti and France’s Mickael Kaouk on Tuesday.
https://nypost.com/2022/04/05/tennis-brawl-erupts-after-teen-player-slaps-opponent/ Tennis brawl erupts after teenage player slaps opponent
