Dramatic scenes at Cincinnati Open as Barbora Krejcikova argues with chair umpire over windy conditions in 1R defeat to Victoria Azarenka

Barbora Krejcikova and Victoria Azarenka's clash at the 2023 Cincinnati Open took a dramatic turn when the former confronted the chair umpire over the challenging windy conditions.

Two-time Cincinnati Open champion Azarenka caused an upset by defeating 11th seed Krejcikova in the first round of the WTA 1000 event. The former World No. 1 battled back from a 2-5 deficit in the second set to claim a 6-3, 7-5 victory in one hour and 45 minutes.

A dramatic incident unfolded during the match when the chair umpire reprimanded Krejcikova for not even making an attempt to serve within the 25-second time limit. However, the Czech argued the windy conditions in Cincinnati were affecting her ability to serve.

"But so many times you succeeded in tossing it and playing the point," the chair umpire said.

"But it was windy. The wind was really blowing hard that's why I stopped. I'm not stopping all the time but I felt it was too windy for me to actually be able to toss it," the Czech argued.

The chair umpire acknowledged the challenging windy conditions and commended Barbora Krejcikova and Victoria Azarenka for their efforts in the face of the challenging situations. However, she reminded Krejcikova to adhere to the serve clock.

"That's what I said but 30 seconds, at least you try. It's 30 seconds Barbora," the umpire said while laughing.

"I appreciate that you girls are trying even though it's windy but standing 15 seconds and not even trying, it's a lot of time you know what I mean," she added.

When Krejcikova explained that she was waiting for the wind to die down, the umpire pointed out that the conditions were expected to continue indefinitely.

"I was waiting for the wind to stop blowing," Krejcikova said.

"It's not going to stop," the umpire replied.

The Czech ultimately acquiesced with a smile.

Victoria Azarenka set to lock horns with Donna Vekic in Cincinnati Open 2R

Victoria Azarenka at the Western & Southern Open

Following her win over Barbora Krejcikova, Victoria Azarenka will take on Donna Vekic in the second round of the Cincinnati Open. Vekic defeated Jennifer Brady 7-6(5), 7-5 to book her spot against the Belarusian.

Vekic leads 2-1 in her head-to-head record against Azarenka. However, it was the latter who came out on top in their most recent encounter at the 2020 Cincinnati Open.

Should Victoria Azarenka emerge victorious against Vekic, she will be up against fifth seed Ons Jabeur in the third round of the WTA 1000 event.