Turkish Player Retires After Tripping Over French Open Advertising Board

Turkish player Zeynep Sönmez retired from her women's doubles match at the French Open on Friday after tripping over a small advertising board near the back of the court. She was chasing a high ball during a point on Court No. when she clipped the board with her feet and fell face first into the fence sheeting.

Sönmez received two stitches and a bruised knee but was otherwise not seriously hurt. "I left the court with 2 stitches and a bruised knee," Sönmez posted on X. "Do we really have to wait until a player is seriously injured before these courtside boards are removed?

" Her doubles partner Tatjana Maria and opponents Dayana Yastremska and Anhelina Kalinina checked on her after the fall. The pair withdrew at 2-0 down in the first set.

Similar incident on Thursday British player Katie Boulter fell over a Lacoste advertising board during her second-round singles match on Thursday. Boulter posted on X that the boards should be removed. "THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO," Boulter wrote. "Got lucky last night but next time I might not be."

organizer reactions Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek said the situation needs to be addressed and suggested moving the boards. "Obviously if these things happen, there needs to be a reaction, because there are other ways for us to be visible for sure," Swiatek said.

Organizers said they have raised the issue with the tournament's umpire and are waiting for an update. After her third-round match, Marta Kostyuk said she chose not to chase a similar ball in her second-round match to avoid injury.