Amarissa Toth caused outrage on the WTA circuit after she made Shuai Zhang cry during a match in Budapest, and the world number 548 made another comment after crashing out in the last 16 of the WTA 250.

Amarissa Kiara TothPhoto: Attila Volgyi / Xinhua News / Profimedia

The history of the Shuai Zhang – Amarissa Toth scandal from WTA Budapest

Already upset after an argument with the chair umpire, Shuai (favourite 2) conceded when Toth cleared the mark with her foot and did not want to continue the match. The audience booed the Chinese woman, and Amarissa celebrated by raising her arms.

After the match, Toth said that Shuai “went for it” and lost in a situation that “has happened a thousand times in tennis”, while the organizers of the competition defended the Hungarian athlete and said that “the Chinese are manipulating the world”.

The WTA quickly reacted and announced that it had launched an investigation: “The WTA has an absolute zero tolerance for racism in any form or context. The unfortunate incident that happened in Hungary, and the following posts are being analyzed and will be addressed.”

Amarissa Toth apologized for her actions in the Shuai Zhang match

After losing to Ukraine’s Kateryna Byndl (6-3, 6-1), Amarissa’s language changed and she said she never wanted to upset Zhang.

“I did not think that my first success in the main draw of the WTA tournament would cause such a storm. I am very sorry for what happened, I respect Shuai Zhang as a player and as a person. It was never my intention to insult, offend or upset anyone, let alone Shuai Zhang.

I realize I shouldn’t have celebrated the way I did after the game, and I’m sorry for that. I acted recklessly and got caught up in my emotions and the moment. I focused on tennis, I didn’t want to win like that” – Amarissa Tothon the Facebook page of the WTA Budapest tournament.

AND Kateryna Bindl commented on the situation after qualifying for the quarterfinals of the tournament in Hungary: “I hope Shuai Zhang is feeling better and we will see her again soon. She is an incredible player, very respectful and a wonderful person. She has a lot to learn. We all have to respect each other no matter what.”

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Posted by Zhang Shuai (@zhangshuai121)