'Biggest choke of all time' costs punter 66K at US Open
One punter will most likely be ruing his luck after French star Kristina ‘Kiki’ Mladenovic unleashed in her press conference at the US Open after one of the all-time collapses in tennis history.
In the lead up to the match, Kiki said she was allowed to play but was restricted to do nothing else due to her contact with fellow French star Benoit Paire who tested positive for the coronavirus.
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Initially, her class shone through as the 30th seed raced to what many thought was an unassailable 6-1, 5-1 lead in her Second Round match against Varvara Gracheva.
But after multiple match points, Kiki only won one more game in the entire match as she lost 6-1, 6-7(2), 0-6.
Kristina Mladenovic served for the match at 6-1, 5-1 and had *four* match points one game later.
She just lost 6-1, 6-7(2), 0-6 to #102 Varvara Gracheva.— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) September 2, 2020
An unforgettable US Open for Kristina Mladenovic and not in a good way. Part of the second bubble after contact with Benoit Paire, she just blew a 6-1, 5-1 lead (and serving) to lose to Gracheva 1-6, 7-6, 6-0 in the second round https://t.co/uX8bVlyTJE
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) September 2, 2020
Kristina Mladenovic led 6-1, 5-1.
Kristina Mladenovic is now in a third set.
Gracheva is a fun player to watch, and there's a big opportunity in this eighth of the draw.#USOpen— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) September 2, 2020
But on Twitter, a user posted a punter’s 16-leg multi-bet which they bet just $20 and it showed they had won all the legs on the multi, except for Kiki’s match.
Her woeful collapse reportedly cost the punter $66,000 in winnings.
I’m not sure what’s more of a setback about that result Harf... this is a mate of a mate’s multi, let it ride last night and after that choke, it was the only leg that stopped him turning $20 into $66k. Reckon SportsBet got hold of Mladenovic’s team? 😬 pic.twitter.com/7pHNBHktUi
— Humpa (@realdockerone) September 2, 2020
The punter would have been ruing their luck after watching Aussie Jordan Thompson and Adrian Mannnarino round off 15/16 wins on the multi.
Kiki unleashes on US Open treatment
The woeful collapse, sparked an emotional press conference where she blasted the US Open for her ‘abominable’ treatment.
“I would so much like to say a lot of things about what is going on here,” she said.
“It's absolutely abominable how they treat us, but I don't want that to be an excuse for my defeat.
“It is not the fault of the USTA if I did not convert my four match points.”
She also added: “I have the impression that we are prisoners” after talking about her lack of movement within the bubble.
