Tarango calls foul on Courier

The temperament time bomb that is Jeff Tarango exploded again yesterday at the Australian Open when the tetchy American challenged officials to cite opponent Jim Courier for, of all things, swearing.

Tarango, who walked out of Wimbledon last year after a heated exchange with an official, made repeated appeals to the umpire, including a dare for him to cite Courier for foul language, before losing in four sets.

"I was just asking how many times somebody needs to do that [swear] before he is warned," said Tarango, suggesting he was being treated differently to the world No 8.

Courier will meet Todd Woodbridge in the third round.