Organizers of the Mittelstadt Open have publicly admitted to what they now call a ‘serious clerical oversight’ after granting a highly-coveted wildcard entry to 34-year-old barista Leila Hargrove, whose only experience with tennis was occasionally watching reruns of Wimbledon during her lunch break.

Hargrove, who competed in the tournament after being mistaken for actual professional player Leylah Fernandez, lost her opening match 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, then attempted to order a caramel macchiato from the umpire. Her performance sparked widespread concern about the selection process, after it was revealed her name had been drawn from a hat, then enthusiastically approved by a committee distracted by a TikTok about poodles playing pickleball.

Chief Tournament Organizer Giles Pennington told reporters, “In hindsight, allowing someone whose pre-match warmup involved googling ‘how to hold racket’ was probably not in the spirit of elite sport. The wildcard should have gone to someone who actually owns tennis shoes.”

Players expressed mixed feelings about Hargrove’s participation. “She introduced herself to me as ‘the frappe champion,'” said rival player Petra Novik, who moved through to the next round in a record eight minutes. “Honestly, she made the best vanilla latte I’ve ever had, but her backhand needs work.”

As for Hargrove, she is already fielding offers to appear on morning talk shows, with one network praising her for ‘shattering the restrictive boundaries of basic athletic competence.’ Asked if she would return to compete again, Hargrove replied, “Only if there are free scones.”