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Elena Rybakina found herself in the middle of a quite bizarre and funny situation following her Doha semifinal win as a fan fell over in the stands while attempting to watch the Kazakh’s signed ball.
On Friday, No. 3 seed Rybakina ousted 2021 French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2 6-4 to reach the final in Doha, the first WTA 1000 tournament of the year. Shortly after completing a win, Rybakina stayed on the court and signed a ball before tossing it into the crowd.
Moments after Rybakina sent the ball into the stands, one fan started running toward the ball. That’s when a hilarious moment was captured on the cameras.
Were they getting some iPhone 15 or something if they catch it 😭? https://t.co/HsIpCV1Hug
— Melanie Lautrup (@melanie_lautrup) February 16, 2024
For context, the Doha organizers announced there would be a prize for a fan who catches the ball. Among the prizes, there was an iPhone 15, Apple Watch or iPad.
Looks like it lol pic.twitter.com/cpCtM2AGlp
— Melanie Lautrup (@melanie_lautrup) February 16, 2024
Rybakina on facing Iga Swiatek
Following her win over Pavlyuchenkova, Rybakina set up a final against top-seeded Swiatek, who made the Doha final without needing to play on Friday after Karolina Pliskova…
