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Bellucci’s gesture of a fake handshake irked Dzumhur, who rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 triumph in the Spanish Capital city.
Mattia Bellucci, Damir Dzumhur.
Damir Dzumhur and Mattia Bellucci were involved in a heated moment at the Madrid Open on Thursday as the duo were part of a fake-out handshake following their match at the event in the Spanish capital city.
Dzumhur rallied from a set down to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Bellucci before the pair approached the net for the customary handshake. But Bellucci’s gesture of a fake handshake seemed to have irked Dzumhur.
The 32-year-old will face off against Sebastian Baez of Argentina in the Round of 64 on Friday.
Dzumhur dropped the opening set of the game before turning the fixture around on its head with a hard-fought show in the final couple of sets to seal the game and ensure his progress to the subsequent round at the clay court event in Madrid.
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The Madrid event serves as the tune-up event to the pinnacle of the clay court swing at Roland Garros this time of the year. Home hope Carlos Alcaraz, who has claimed the title in Madrid twice in his nascent career, pulled out of contention to provide his injured leg some extra time to recover.
Naomi Osaka crashed out of the Madrid Open in the first round on Tuesday with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 defeat by Lucia Bronzetti.
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The Japanese former world number one, ranked 55th, battled back with a strong second set after losing the first, but eventually came up short against her determined Italian opponent. The Italian will face American world number five Madison Keys in the second round.
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