Kato Disqualified but Wins French Open Championship

Miyu Kato of Japan has emerged as a French Open champion, winning the mixed doubles final with her German partner Tim Puetz. The victory comes just four days after Kato was controversially disqualified from the women’s doubles for accidentally hitting a ball girl. Kato expressed her gratitude to the players who supported her during the challenging time. She also read a prepared statement to the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd, stating that she is looking for a positive result to her appeal so she can reclaim her prize money, points, and reputation. Puetz expressed his hope that the title would help Kato after the drama of the default. Kato and her Indonesian teammate Aldila Sutjiadi were disqualified on Sunday after a gentle lob from Kato left a ballgirl in tears and shaking. Initially, they were only given a warning by the chair umpire, but their opponents protested and urged the tournament supervisor to look again at the incident. Kato also had to forfeit her prize money.