Croatia’s Maric Cilic took the Queen’s Club title in controversial fashion on Sunday as Argentina’s David Nalbandian was disqualified in the second set of the final for kicking an advertising board into a line judge.
Nalbandian, who won the first set 7-6 (7-3), had just lost his serve to fall 4-3 down in the second set when he reacted with a frustrated kick at the board, which was just in front of line judge Andrew McDougall.
McDougall rolled up his trouser leg to reveal a bloody gash and he appeared to remonstrate with Nalbandian.
Play came to a halt and, after a delay of several minutes, ATP supervisor Tom Barnes came onto the court to speak to umpire Fergus Murphy and Nalbandian.
It soon emerged that the 30-year-old’s petulant behaviour had been punished with disqualification “due to unsportsmanlike behaviour”.