Shake Fake: Korpatsch Declines Handshake After Heated Argument with Wang
By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Photo credit: TNT Screen Shot
Blistering heat struck Roland Garros Day 4.
Bad blood was boiling on Court 7.
Watch German Tamara Korpatsch reject Wang Xinyu’s extended hand and blow off the traditional post-match handshake after upsetting the 32nd-seeded Chinese 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 to reach the Roland Garros third round for the first time in her career.
Though Korpatsch’s hand seems to brush Wang’s briefly, the 95th-ranked German pulls her hand away and declines the handshake prompting boos from some fans.
Why did Korpatsch, after reaching her first major third round in her 12th Grand Slam appearance, refuse to press palms?
Earlier in the match, Wang violated a cardinal tennis rule by crossing around the net and walking to the German’s side of the court to closely inspect a ball mark on a line call.
The two players both stood near the baseline gazing at marks and arguing over which was the correct ball mark before the chair umpire came out on court.
Afterward, Korpatsch said she saw both ball marks out and declined the handshake because she felt Wang accused her of cheating.
“I think she said, like, something that she thought that I’m not a fair player or something like that, but we have one of the best chair umpires on the court, and I don’t know how to cheat, honestly,” Korpatsch said. “There are many cameras on court and they can check everything.
“Honestly, for me, it would be embarrassing to cheat like that. I’m serious, I’m honest, that when I was running, I thought the ball is out, and I was, like, okay, which one is it? I didn’t know which mark, but for that, we have the referee.”
Wang incurred a code violation for her transgression. Korpatsch said Wang’s team told her the ball was good, possibly provoking her walk to check the mark, but added she saw a Hawk-Eye replay that showed the ball landed long.
“There was a ball, it was really long ball from her, and I saw it out. I don’t know if the line umpires called it out or not, but there were two ball marks, actually,” Korpatsch said. “And the one was the old one and the other one was the new one.
“Both of them were out, so it doesn’t matter. I didn’t know which one was the right one, but the line umpire came down and showed the mark, and it was out.
“Actually, also on the TV, they showed the Hawk-Eye and it was, like, eight millimeters out. Yeah, she came on my side, because she didn’t believe it. Because I think her team did, like, too much, yeah, talked like too much, because they thought it’s in… at the end, we didn’t have a handshake because she told me she’s not okay with that, with the ball marks, and everything.
“But I cannot say that I gift her the point for nothing. But I’m a bit surprised over that, because normally we have a good relationship and we are not like enemies.”
The Wang walk around the net post today will remind soe French Open fans of Martina Hingis famously crossing the line to inspect a ball mark in the 1999 Roland Garros final vs. Steffi Graf.
Swiss Miss Hingis was in control leading 6-4, 2-0 when she hit a forehand return down the line that was called out by the lines crew.
“No,” Hingis immediately said before walking around the net post all the way to the opposite baseline to check the mark. In that case, Hingis appeared to be right, her shot looked good, but she not only lost the point she incurred a point penalty for crossing the net followed by her debate with the chair umpire.
Though Hingis initially tried to smile off the dispute, it proved to be the turning point as French fans repeatedly jeered and whistled at the Swiss Miss, Hingis’s concentration cracked and Graf came back to win the match 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 and take the title. That comeback win by Graf, the only player in history to complete the calendar Golden Grand Slam, denied Hingis the career Grand Slam.
Today, Wang lost the argument and the match.
On a steamy day with tempers running hot, both Wang and Korpatsch kicked etiquette to the curb and engaged in raw rivalry.
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