BEIJING, Feb 16: China has dismissed a protest filed by France after their Fed Cup tie this month, saying the match referee had cleared one of the Chinese players to leave the tie before it ended, state media reported on Friday.

French officials wrote a letter of complaint to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) after China’s Peng Shuai left the Feb 2-3 tie to prepare for the Paris Open.

The French argued it was “not normal” for a player to leave before the end of the match and claimed Peng had missed a doping test after the tournament. France lost the tie in Beijing 3-2.

Chinese Tennis Association’s Deputy Director Gao Shenyang countered that Peng’s departure had been granted by the referee following her win over Virginie Razzano.—Reuters