Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Friday, May 29, 2026, 12:48 / Updated Friday, May 29, 2026 12:59
Paraguayan tennis player Daniel Vallejo (22, ranked 71st in the world) sparked controversy after his second-round loss at Roland Garros, claiming that the chair umpire, Brazilian Ana Carvalho, failed to control the crowd's fervor, thus affecting his game.
In one of the most contested matches of Thursday, Vallejo a was eliminated by the young Frenchman Moise Kouame, aged only 17, in a five-set match, in which the home favorite prevailed 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6 and 7-6, after almost five hours of play.
The Paraguayan player made some controversial statements after the match, claiming that the management of the match should have been left to a man.
“This type of matches should be refereed by a man, it is very difficult for a woman to have the strength to oppose such an intense audience”he stated, quoted by
Chair umpire found guilty of elimination from Roland Garros
Daniel Vallejo // photo: Imago
The Paraguayan rallied from a two-set deficit to lead 5-2 in the deciding set. However, boosted by the support of the fans, Kouame managed to equalize and win the match in a super tie-break, played in an incendiary atmosphere.
Although he found the atmosphere intense, Vallejo admitted that it didn't affect him. “The crowd was really excessive, but I understand that they were supporting their compatriot,” he said, adding: “It's a pretty intense crowd, so I was prepared. I already knew it was going to be like that and to be honest, it didn't affect me, on the contrary, it motivated me,” he said after the match.
However, the tennis player criticized what he considered to be a waste of time on the part of his opponent.
“I think he wasted a lot of time on several occasions, throwing himself to the ground or prolonging the game. And it's not normal for the crowd to shout for a whole minute when it's not a game”he complained. “In a match where physicality is so important, if you give a player a lot of time, it's inevitable that he will take advantage. It's also difficult for a referee to handle these types of situations,” he concluded.
Moise Kouame, who defeated him, became the second youngest tennis player, at 17 years and 83 days, to qualify for the third round of a Grand Slam tournament.
Only Rafael Nadal, who reached the third round at Wimbledon in 2003, was younger than him at 17 years and 20 days.
Moise Kouame is also the fifth-youngest player in the Open Era to reach the third round of the men's singles draw at Roland Garros.
