Tiafoe insulted the umpire following his loss to Safiullin at the tournament in Shanghai
The second-round match at the Shanghai Masters between Russia's Roman Safiullin and American Frances Tiafoe ended in a significant controversy. During the decisive set, with the score at 5-6 and 0-30 on Tiafoe's serve, the chair umpire penalized him for a time violation, taking away his first serve.
Despite this, Tiafoe managed to push the game to a tiebreak. At 5-5 in the tiebreak, he was penalized again for the same violation, resulting in the loss of a point. However, the decision was mitigated, allowing Tiafoe to regain his first serve, but he soon lost the point. Safiullin then sealed the match with an ace, finishing with a score of 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5).
After the match, Tiafoe refused to shake hands with the umpire and repeatedly insulted him with inappropriate language.
It is likely that Tiafoe will face strict penalties, while Safiullin prepares for his next match against Serbian Novak Djokovic, competing for a place in the quarterfinals.
