DAN EVANS was involved in a fierce argument with the referee in his match against Fabio Fognini at the Italian Open.
The back and forth between Evans and referee Mohamed Lahyani saw the home crowd turn on him and boo his every move as they supported the home favourite.
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The controversy arose when Evans was on the verge of breaking Fognini in the deciding set when the Italian clearly kicked the ball out.
Despite the ball visibly falling on the wrong side of the baseline, the shot was called through Lahyani to Evans' disbelief.
The referee then came to the clay to look for a spot where the ball had bounced, causing Evans to bump into him.
An incensed Evans even called Fognini over and begged him to tell the referee the decision was wrong.
Lahyani remained steadfast in his decision, saying: “It goes to the back of the line”
To which Evans, now talking to Fognini, said: “He can't even see where the ball is!”
The discussion continued after replays confirmed the ball was out of bounds, but despite this Lahyani stood by his original decision.
Evans protested: “You couldn't show me the target… it didn't hit the bloody line”.
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Lahyani replied, “Do not swear.”
Evans continued: “All I ask is that you show me where the ball landed, but you couldn't because you didn't know. It's over, forget it. Can you tell me why I showed unsportsmanlike behavior?”
Lahyani replied: “Yes, because you used the F-word today. I totally agree [that Evans had his point of view] but you don't yell at me and use the F-word. If you had talked to me in a normal way, I would have accepted it.
As the brawl continued, the boos for Evans from the crowd only intensified.
The Briton would lose the match and crash out of the race Italian opened 4-6, 6-3, 2-6.
As a result, he misses the opportunity to play Taylor Fritz in the next round.
