The WTA found itself at the center of a major controversy at the Guangzhou Open. They surprisingly denied Kaitlin Quevedo permission to wear the black mourning band in order to pay tribute to the victims of the Toledo rail disaster, which resulted in 69 deaths. It wasn’t long before the WTA found itself in hot water and faced sharp criticism from fans. Now, they have come up with a clarification on the matter.

“Under the WTA’s Symbols and Slogans Policy, displaying symbols on court is subject to specific requirements,” the statement read. “Following internal review of this matter, we are speaking directly with Kaitlin about her wish to pay tribute ahead of her next match.”

Quevedo played without the armband and still managed to win 7-6, 6-3 against Jil Teichmann in the quarterfinals. She played Lilli Tagger later in the semifinals and was allowed to wear the crespon negro in that encounter, which is the black armband usually worn at Spanish funerals. But the 20-year-old wasn’t able to get a positive result and suffered a comprehensive 6-2, 6-0 defeat.

The WTA also paid its condolences to the victims of the rail disaster and wished the best for the families affected by the tragedy.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to those who have lost loved ones in the train collisions in Spain. Our thoughts are with them, those injured, and everyone affected by this tragedy,” the statement added.

Despite the semifinal exit, it was still a very promising campaign for Quevedo at the Guangzhou Open. She first defeated Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 in what was a gruelling clash. The youngster followed that up with a 7-5, 6-3 win against Anna Bondar to reach the quarterfinals. The victory over Teichmann only made her campaign even more impressive.

Quevedo will be playing the Hong Kong Open next, where she will be up against her compatriot Paula Badosa in the opening round. This will be the youngster’s third tournament of the Asian swing. Badosa also had a decent campaign at the Guangzhou Open, reaching the quarterfinals. But she suffered a heat stroke in the match against Harriet Dart and was eventually knocked out 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

It remains to be seen whether both Quevedo and Badosa will wear black armbands during their clash in Hong Kong. The WTA is now in no position to deny them doing so, especially because the ATP never refused Rafael Jodar for the same.

The ATP had no problems with Rafael Jodar wearing the black armband

Jodar was seen wearing a black ribbon on his left sleeve while playing at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. The Spaniard wore it in the clash against Valentin Vacherot, where he was defeated 7-6, 2-6, 7-6.

This led to further criticism of the WTA, as, unlike them, the ATP very well understood the issue. That is why they never refused Jodar wearing the black ribbon. Jodar may be seen wearing it again in his upcoming clash against Alejandro Tabilo at the Paris Masters.

While tournaments or tennis organizations may have policies against displaying symbols on the court, they have bent them on several occasions. For context, Wimbledon allowed players to break its all-white dress code and wear black armbands in the 2025 edition after the tragic death of Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota.