Trailing by one set and one point, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova fired a forehand, and the ball found the net. Then, trailing two-time defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 30-0, it appeared that Pavlyuchenkova’s frame might connect with the court.
Instead of an explosive racquet smash, though, the 27th seed ever so gently placed her Wilson weapon on the hard court below. It barely made a sound.
“That was the nicest, most polite racquet throw I have ever seen,” a smiling Andrea Petkovic said on commentary. (See it to believe it, below.)
