"Only way to discourage this moronic behavior is a six-figure fine AND one-year ban": Tennis fans react scathingly after Polmans horrific disqualification at China Open

Marc Polmans' disqualification from the Shanghai Open qualifiers for hitting the chair umpire with the ball stirred up controversy among fans.

The 26-year-old Australian was just one point away from playing in his first Masters 1000 main draw. Marc Polmans (140th) made headlines worldwide after being disqualified in his second qualifying match for the Shanghai Open.

As the 4th seed, Polmans faced the 18th seed Stefano Napolitano for a spot in the main draw. In a tight match, he won the first set 7-6 and was in a tie-break in the second set with a match point that would have allowed him to advance to the main round of the tournament.

With the score at 6-5 in the tie-break and his opponent serving, Polmans approached the net to close out the point and the match. However, he missed a volley and in frustration, he struck the ball forcefully with his racket, accidentally hitting the chair umpire in the face. As a result, he was immediately disqualified from the match in a peculiar situation.

Polmans' situation was widely discussed on social media by fans who expressed their displeasure with the Australian's behavior. The majority of fans supported the chair umpire's decision:

"Not intentional, but 100% worthy of a disqualification. Players really need to stop hitting balls like that, whether into the crowd, toward umpires or line judges. None of them intend anything malicious, but you are inevitably going to injury someone if you keep doing it.

"100% deserved, players need to be held accountable, hope he gets a hefty fine on top of it. Gaston also threw a racquet at a line umpire yesterday and didn't even apologize, should've gotten disqualified," the user posted.

"Such incidents may ruin your career. He’s had a chance to play ATP1000, moreover his opponent is to play against another qualifier Zhukayev in 1st, what a disaster."