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Watch as umpire John Bloom forced to separate Pedro Martinez and Reik Sakamoto in bizarre 2026 Roland-Garros qualifying spat
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Updated 19/05/2026 at 22:00 GMT+1
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Pedro Martinez and Rei Sakamoto had to be separated by the umpire after heated scenes at the conclusion of their French Open qualifier on Tuesday.
Heated scenes as umpire separates Sakamoto & Martinez
Video credit: TNT Sports
The two were playing in the first round of qualifying at Roland-Garros as they looked to negotiate their way through to the tournament proper in Paris, which begins on Sunday, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
The French Open is the second Grand Slam of the season after January’s Australian Open, taking place on clay.
For Martinez and Sakamoto, what is meant to be one of the highlights of the tennis calendar ultimately soured once their match was over.
Martinez served for the match, winning 6-2, 6-5 on one of the smaller courts in the arena in front of a relatively full crowd.
As the applause began for both competitors, the two athletes met at the net and shook hands.Â
However, the pair continued to exchange words as they walked towards umpire John Bloom before shaking his hand.Â
Martinez was even talking to his beaten opponent as he shook hands with Bloom, and the pair’s demeanour began to shift as they appeared to exchange frostier words.
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Cecchinato helps Houkes through cramp in classy Roland-Garros qualifying moment
Video credit: TNT Sports
The 19-year-old Japanese player Sakamoto looked largely nonplussed during the conversation, with Martinez only getting more animated as he talked.
The duo started to inch closer on Sakamoto’s side of the net and Bloom decided that he had seen enough and needed to intervene.
Fisticuffs were thankfully avoided as the experienced umpire climbed down from the chair, and he ushered Martinez away from his rival as he stepped in between the pair while they continued to gesture and speak to one another.
Bloom focused his initial energy on Martinez, using both arms on the player’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him, while he also guided Sakamoto away to stop tensions escalating further.
After a few moments, 29-year-old Spaniard Martinez acquiesced as Bloom followed him to his side of the net and he began clearing away his equipment.
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It was far from clear as to what kickstarted the argument between the two players at Roland-Garros, with no clear audio showing where the original bone of contention had been.
Martinez has a single ATP Tour win to his name as a singles player. His success came in February 2022, when he won the ATP 250 Chile Open event.
Teenager Sakamoto has yet to land a significant title, though on the Challenger Tour, he has won the Yokkaichi Challenger, Cary Tennis Classic and Yokohama Keio Challenger tournaments in recent years.
Martinez is yet to discover who his opponent will be in the second round of qualifying at Roland-Garros.
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TNT Sports is the exclusive French Open broadcaster in the UK and Ireland. Coverage of every court will be available to stream live on HBO Max
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