Spare a thought for the umpire who presided over Monday’s first-round match at the Geneva Open — between Joao Sousa and Joao Souza.
Portugal’s sixth seed Sousa came up against Souza of Brazil in the first ever meeting between the pair, with the former booking his place in the second round thanks to a 7-5 6-3 win over his near-namesake.
What might have been 87 minutes of utter confusion for umpire Manuel Messina, the two players and those watching inside Court Central was at least made slightly easier to comprehend by the official’s decision to refer to the players by their nationality — “Sousa Portugal” and “Souza Brazil” — when calling out the scores.
Sousa, ranked 50th in the world, goes on to meet Jurgen Melzer in the second round after the Austrian defeated Damir Dzumhur 6-2 6-3.
The Geneva Open has been restored to the full ATP Tour for the first time since 1991, taking over from the Dusseldorf Open.
