Emma Raducanu Caught in Controversy After Crying Child Complaint to Umpire During Cincinnati Open 2025 Match

British tennis star Emma Raducanu is usually known for her easygoing and relaxed demanour, but the fierce competitor within her came out in full force during her Cincinnati Open 2025 match against Aryna Sabalenka, where she found herself going up against a crying child in the crowd - and even had fans agreeing with her!

Sabalenka won a hard-fought match 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) against Raducanu but it says a lot that the result - or the back and forth nature of the game - was not what most people had in mind when talking about the match. 

Instead, it was Raducanu's mini-feud with a toddler in the crowd that ended up going viral on social media. 

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See The Video Here

The controversy began when Raducanu disrupted her own serve to motion to the umpire, saying that the child had been loudly wailing for nearly 10 minutes. 

The official's response could be heard across the court due to the mic. "It's a child. Do you want me to kick the child out of the stadium," came the quizzical reply.

To make things even more amusing, a number of spectators can be heard yelling 'yes' at the umpire, implying they were okay with the child and family being removed from the stadium! 

It is not clear if the family departed thereafter or not, but the match did get interrupted briefly before resuming eventually. 

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How Raducanu vs Sabalenka Played Out

Sabalenka would eventually go on to win what was a grilling encounter that lasted over 3 hours, with both players taking the other to the absolute limit on the night. 

Sabalenka won the first set via a tiebreak, but Raducanu hit back hard by claiming the second set 6-4. The third was also a long drawn affair, which included the baby disruption. 

But it was the Belarusian who would go on to emerge victorious, solidifying her status as one of the favourites to win the tournament outright.