Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi of France's 16th seeds Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi had led 3-1 when one player hit an unwitting ball girl between points, in what appeared to be an accidental incident. Chair umpire Alexandre Juge issued a code violation, prompting Grand Slam supervisor Wayne McKewen to arrive on court and forfeit their pair - leaving the ball girl in tears as the proceedings moved onwards. Aldila Sutjiadi Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi of Japan were disqualified from the French Open after accidentally inducing ball girl distress during their third-round match against Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo on Court 14. Kato accidentally struck the ball girl between points while sending it down the other side, prompting a supervisor to be summoned to assess her wellbeing. Kato received a warning for her mistake from the chair umpire; however, the opposing pair petitioned the umpire for disqualification on grounds that Kato hit a ball girl when not looking and was endangering the child's safety by her actions. The umpire agreed with their requests and disqualified both Kato and Sutjiadi from competition. Disqualification caused a stir among tennis fans, many of whom felt Kato had been treated unfairly. Reactions likened the incident to when Novak Djokovic accidentally struck out at a lineswoman at the US Open; however, several commentators also pointed out that Kato's shot wasn't done intentionally nor involved any dangerous action. Kato quickly responded to Kato's mistake, explaining it had been "totally involuntary". She noted how upset and emotional her partner was after she struck the ball girl who was crying when hit, prompting the Grand Slam supervisor not to watch the rest of their match which ultimately was won by Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo. Disqualification will have no bearing on either player's ranking and neither will be punished by their respective tennis federations, yet this incident may cause embarrassment and controversy for both sides. Whether they appeal the decision is currently unknown. Miyu Kato Miyu Kato was left weeping after she was disqualified from a women's doubles match at Roland Garros on Monday, due to accidentally hitting a ball girl during her match with Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo. Kato accidentally hit one while lobbing the ball between points towards Marie Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo - hitting her in the shoulder, and leaving her visibly distressed. Kato initially received a warning from chair umpire but due to protest by Marie Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo was disqualified and forced out from playing this match by protest from Bouzkova/Sorribes Tormo, leaving both players no choice but exiting from Roland Garros altogether. Kato attempted to console and apologize to the young girl before officials led her away from court by way of removal. Furthermore, they have been instructed by tournament supervisor Wayne McKewen and referee Remy Azemar to attend a meeting to discuss what went wrong in future matches. At Roland Garros, it's not unprecedented for a player to be defaulted for hitting a ball girl accidentally - Novak Djokovic famously got himself kicked out of the US Open after accidentally striking one of Coco Gauff's line judges with a ball while playing against Coco Gauff. Many commentators were shocked that Kato received such a severe punishment despite it being accidental and not hard hit. No one could argue with Kato's resilience after her disqualification: she returned to the courts the next day with Tim Puetz and made it to the mixed doubles semifinals by defeating Brazilian duo Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, still teary as she made her way out to meet media representatives afterward, yet many players came together behind her statement on Twitter to back her cause. But, regardless of the controversy, Kato put aside her emotions when playing against world number two and four seeds Luisa Stefani/Matos duo Luisa Stefani/Matos 7-6 (7-5-6-3 win! Marie Bouzkova Miyu Kato was disqualified from the French Open after accidentally hitting a ball girl during her match with Indonesian partner Aldila Sutjiadi. Kato appeared to be trying to return the ball when it struck the girl; visibly upset, she began crying as soon as it happened and was initially given a warning by chair umpire John Egan; however after tournament referee Remy Azemar and Grand Slam supervisor Wayne McKewen visited Court 14 for further assessment, Kato was removed from further competition - this time being kicked out permanently by tournament referee Remy Azemar and Grand Slam supervisor Wayne McKewen when visiting Court 14 and taking a closer look, Kato was out and not replaced in tournament play by either party involved. Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo won their match 7-6 (1) 6-3 to advance to the fourth round of this tournament and face Australian duo Ellen Perez and Nicole Melichar-Martinez as opponents in their next matchup. Many fans were outraged by the decision to disqualify Kato and Sutjiadi from play; many even booed them as they left the court. Bouzkova noted that neither she nor Sorribes Tormo raised an objection with the chair umpire. At Roland Garros, this incident was not the first time tennis players caused injury to ball girls. Novak Djokovic defaulted after accidentally striking a line judge with one of his balls; it prompted widespread discussion regarding safety considerations for ball girls in tennis. Bouzkova had Potapova on serve at 6-5 in the final set, when she double faulted on a backhand down the line and double faulted again for an error to give Bouzkova an early break and eventually take it 6-4 6-3 win over Potapova. Bouzkova was thrilled with her victory but didn't wish to make too much out of it. She was impressed with both opponents performances; Czech doubles star Bouzkova believes she can perform even better going forward; winning this final is hopeful of helping her rise back up the world rankings. Sara Sorribes Tormo The 2023 French Open has been full of surprises and shocks, with several seeds falling at an early stage. Perhaps one of the biggest shocks occurred in women's doubles when Aldila Sutjiadi and Miyu Kato were defaulted because Kato accidentally hit a ball girl while playing; an incident which resulted in her crying as well as humiliation for both players involved. The pair was punished for the incident by being defaulted from the tournament and losing any prize money and ranking points they had earned. Their departure caused outrage from fans; many tennis enthusiasts felt dismayed with how this ended their French Open experience. Sorribes Tormo had been playing well this year on clay, winning three matches at W100 level and rising as high as number two in the world at one point before finding it hard to replicate her good form at Grand Slam events - her loss against Beatriz Haddad Maia being especially damaging; since then her form has gradually diminished. Sorribes Tormo remains popular with tennis fans even after her loss; her creativity and ability to find innovative ways of scoring points make her entertaining to watch. While her power may not be effortless, her courtcraft allows her to work around it. Sorribes Tormo was forced into playing long rallies against Haddad Maia, offering her many chances to score some points. Although she battled hard in the third set, eventually losing in a marathon match that lasted nearly four hours. Sorribes Tormo will join Marie Bouzkova in hoping to recover from her exit at the French Open by winning the Palermo ladies Open. These two will face Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Australian Ellen Perez in the quarter-finals in what promises to be an eye-catching matchup; Sorribes Tormo hopes that by doing well here she can return to form for the rest of this season.