How ugly scenes unfolded

IT was a day of shame for Ilie Nastase and Romanian tennis. Jo Konta, a set up against Sorana Cirstea and 1-1 in the second, complains to umpire Jaume Campistol about shouting from the crowd during a rally. Romania are given a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. Romania captain Nastase protests to the umpire, who summons match referee Andreas Egli. They have a heated discussion while Konta waits with GB captain Anne Keothavong. Tennis legend Nastase and Cirstea continue to remonstrate with Egli but after two minutes the umpire’s patience snaps and he sends Nastase to the stands. However Nastase is not finished and bellows ‘what’s your f***ing problem’ before calling Keothavong and Konta ‘f***ing bitches’. Keothavong, close to tears, tells the umpire what Nastase said, saying: ‘I’m not being talked to like that, it’s unacceptable.’ Nastase, by now sitting in the front row of the stand, is expelled from the arena as the partisan crowd roar ‘Ilie, Ilie, Ilie’. Konta returns to court in tears but, as she is still being abused by the crowd, Keothavong complains to Campistol, who suspends play. As the players leave the court, Romania No 1 Simona Halep pleads for calm in the stands. Nastase is escorted out of the stadium by security while launching another foul-mouthed tirade at watching British journalists.