French Open star who was disqualified holds back tears after mixed doubles glory

Miyu Kato has denounced the "unfair" disqualification she suffered in the French Open women's doubles last week in an emotional victory speech after claiming mixed doubles glory alongside Tim Puetz on Thursday. The 28-year-old and her German partner were able to overcome the challenge posed by Bianca Andreescu and Michael Venus in the all-important final, which helped ensure Kato's whirlwind week ended on at least a high note.

The Japanese player found herself at the center of a media storm last weekend when she was expelled from the women's doubles tournament alongside partner Aldila Sutjiadi for making a ball player in him cry hitting a tennis ball. Kato was positioned close to the net and carelessly tossed a ball towards the ball boy in the backcourt, which prompted her to cry after being caught in the back of the neck.

A sincere apology was offered by Kato following the match and she subsequently received an outpouring of support on social media, with many fans claiming her disqualification was too harsh a punishment given the unintentional nature of the match. 'offence.

Kato managed to achieve mixed doubles glory just four days later alongside Puetz and then delivered a heartfelt victory speech, in which she opened up about the struggles she has faced since joining she was kicked out of the women's doubles competition by tournament referee Remy. Azémar.

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"Thank you to everyone in the tournament and to the sponsors," Kato said. "Congratulations to our opponents Bianca and Michael. It was a great match. To my partner, Tim, I'm so glad to have you as my partner. Thank you so much for always supporting and cheering me on.

“To my coach, thank you for always being with me when I go through difficult times. It has been very difficult mentally for me the last few days due to the unfair disqualification of the women's doubles. I want to thank all the players , coaches and everyone else for the heartfelt messages of support.

“I was able to use all the positive energy to move forward to be here today. Thanks to my women's doubles partner, Aldila, her team and all the fans. It's a shame we got disqualified but I'm doing my best so that we can come back one day and win the women's doubles final."

Kato also confirmed that she would appeal the decision to disqualify her from the women's doubles tournament while fighting back tears as she struggled to control her emotions, while Puetz offered her a shoulder to cry on and lifted the microphone so she could use both hands to hold a set of notes she had prepared in advance.

"To my women's doubles opponents this week, Aldila and I hope we can meet again somewhere and have a great match," she added. "Sorry, it's been so long! Finally, it's a shame for the disqualification decision, but I'm waiting for a positive outcome to my appeal so that I can receive my points and my prize."

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