Moutet smashes racquet and hands it to fan in fiery Paris Masters clash against Shelton

Corentin Moutet smashed his racquet during his Paris Masters match against Ben Shelton. The French player was penalized in the middle of the first set after breaking his racquet and handing the broken piece to a fan in the crowd.

The eccentric 25-year-old has often shown his anger on the court and doesn’t hide his frustration, as this isn’t the first time he’s smashed his racquet. The world No. 70 once again found himself at the center of one of these moments, this time in front of his home crowd in Paris.

The Frenchman was trailing 2-4 in the first set against world No. 19 Ben Shelton when he showed his frustration over repeated unforced errors. Moutet broke his racquet over his knee, which drew boos from the crowd that had been cheering him on just moments before.

He then went to the bench to retrieve a new racquet, and just as he was about to set the broken one down, he handed it to a fan who reached out for it. Shortly afterward, chair umpire Aurelie Tourte issued him a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Frenchman went on to lose the first set 6-3. However, he reignited the local crowd’s hopes after saving a couple of match points in the second-set tiebreak, taking it to a third set with a score of 7-6(8). Ultimately, Shelton showed his superiority, closing out the victory 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-3 to move into the second round, where he awaits his next opponent.