Ukrainian WTA Star’s Withdrawal Forces Young Russian Mirra Andreeva to Go Up Against a Guy in Bizarre Scenes

As the sporting world shifts to entertainment, the ‘sportainment’ aspect is often boosted by crazy and bizarre scenes. And the sport of tennis is known to have such incidents which often pop up. Take the example of this year, during the Wimbledon Championships, a rain delay forced Novak Djokovic‘s match to halt by more than an hour. Subsequently, the Serb was out on the court with a towel and tried to dry the grass after the rain stopped. Recently, another bizarre incident in the tennis world came to light, featuring young Russian star, Mirra Andreeva.

While the 2023 tennis season has ended, exhibition matches are still going on across the world. Today, one such exhibition match took place in France. However, unusual scenes emerged from that match.

Mirra Andreeva plays against a man

16-year-old Mirra Andreeva of Russia participated in an exhibition match in France. She was set to play against Ukrainian opponent, Marta Kostyuk. However, hours before the match, Kostyuk pulled out from the event because she was pitted against a Russian opponent. As a result, the event authorities came up with a bizarre solution.

In order to prevent the cancelation of the event, they called up a local ATP star, Yanis Ghazouani Durand. The 23-year-old Frenchman is ranked #1145 on the ATP rankings chart. Subsequently, Andreeva was forced to play against Durand after Kostyuk pulled out.

It was a one-of-a-kind incident in the tennis world that went viral on social media. Andreeva agreed to contest against him and gave her best in the match. However, she couldn’t overcome the challenge of Durand, who defeated her in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2.

However, it is not the only incident in recent times that has caught the eyes of the tennis world. Earlier this week, a shocking incident caused havoc at Négométal Open. It involved noted ATP stars, David Goffin and Lucas Pouille.

A fire alarm causes a trigger in the middle of a match

Yesterday, it was reported that a fire alarm suddenly went on while Goffin and Pouille were playing. The situation caused a moment of panic and everyone thought that there might be an emergency. After hearing the alarm, fans, who were enjoying the thrilling match, started rushing out of the stadium.

DIVE DEEPER: ‘I Am Upset’ – WTA Refuses to Entertain Mirra Andreeva Accusations as 23-Year-Old Ukrainian Tennis Player Expresses Disappointment With Women’s Tennis’ Apex Body

Additionally, a message was also played that there might be a fire nearby. The play stopped and both the players were left clueless about the situation. However, later it was revealed that it was a false alarm and no emergency was reported.

Such bizarre scenes continue to pop up in the tennis world. While some incidents can make the sport interesting to watch, incidents like the fire alarm can mar the popularity of the sport as it creates unnecessary panic among the fans watching it.

WATCH THIS STORY: ‘What A Class Act’ – Serena Williams Sends Love As Roger Federer Hangs His Tennis Racket