WATCH: Controversial scenes at Cincinnati Open as Yoshihito Nishioka receives rare game penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct in 2R loss

Yoshihito Nishioka received a rare game penalty after he appeared to go through a complete meltdown in his Cincinnati Open second-round loss to Hubert Hurkacz. The Japanese player was frustrated with his second-set debacle and went on to accumulate penalties for his unsportsmanlike conduct in the third set.

Nishioka took on fifth-seed Hurkacz at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Thursday, August 15, in the 2024 Cincinnati Open. The 28-year-old Japanese was in cruise control after he won the first set 6-3. In the second set, the match went into a tiebreaker and the Pole prevailed 7-6(4). Nishioka smashed his racket upon losing the set and his frustrations grew from thereon.

In the decider, the Japanese player was serving at 1-2 and the Pole had a break point. Hurkacz converted the break to make it 1-3 and Nishioka launched a ball into the crowd out of frustration. He asked for another ball from the ballgirl and it received the same fate. Commentator Barry Cowan called out the inevitable:

"[Hurkacz] is going to start 15-0 up as well. He’s [Nishioka] snapped."

Chair umpire Aurelie Tourte soon announced:

"Code violation, unsportsmanlike conduct. Point penalty, Mr Nishioka."

Hurkacz went 30-0 up in the set and Nishioka launched another ball into the crowd which led to him receiving a game penalty.

“Code violation, ball abuse. Game penalty, Nishioka,” the umpire announced.

The 28-year-old found a chair behind the advertising boards and sat there muttering to himself before returning to the court. He eventually lost the third and deciding set 1-6.

Watch the video below:

Notably, this is not Nishioka's first outburst on the court. The World No. 52 has smashed his racket on multiple occasions, including at the 2023 Australian Open. He also smashed three rackets at the Sardinia Open last year.

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Serena Williams received a rare game penalty during the 2018 US Open final against Naomi Osaka

Serena Williams (R) during the 2018 US Open. (Image: Getty)

Before Yoshihito Nishioka was handed the rare game penalty at the 2024 Cincinnati Open, another high-profile similar incident was Serena Williams' game penalty at the 2018 US Open.

Williams was initially given a 'coaching' warning after the chair umpire in her US Open final against Naomi Osaka felt the American's coach had made hand signals to her.

“I have never cheated in my life... You owe me an apology,” Williams was heard saying.

After losing the first set 2-6, Williams was leading 3-1 in the second set before playing a poor game and narrowing her lead to 3-2. She smashed her racket on the ground, which led to a point penalty.

Williams lost two games in a row to go 3-4 down and burst out at the chair umpire Carlos Ramos.

“You are a liar. You will never be on a court of mine as long as you live. When are you going to give me my apology? Say you are sorry,” she said.

Following this, she received a game penalty to go 3-5 down. She held serve to make it 4-5 but Osaka won her service game to win the title.