The ITF junior circuit was hit by controversy this week as a 15-year-old tennis player slapped his opponent after losing a match.
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Michael Kouame, who lost 2-7, 7-6, 6-7, appeared to reach for a handshake at the net but, instead, slapped Raphael Nii Ankrah during an ITF tennis event in Ghana.
The incident was captured by the viewers present there, and the video soon went viral.
Number 1 seeded player Michael Kouame from France 🇫🇷 slaps Raphael Nii Ankrah 🇬🇭 after losing in the ongoing TGF ITF jnrs world tour at the Accra sports stadium pic.twitter.com/pj4WjfifXZ
— KENNETH KWESI GIBSON 🎾 (@Kwesi_Gibson) April 4, 2022
The slap later led to an all-out brawl, videos posted on social media showed.
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— KENNETH KWESI GIBSON 🎾 (@Kwesi_Gibson) April 4, 2022
Kouame, a tennis player from France, was the top seen in the competition but lost the opening set to his opponent. He won the second set, which sent the match to a tie-break.
It’s unclear what caused Kouame to lash out at Ankrah.
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