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Kartal Secures Contentious Victory After Electronic Line-Calling System Malfunctions
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova alleged that a game was ‘stolen’ from her during her fourth-round Wimbledon match against Britain’s Sonay Kartal, citing a failure of the electronic line-calling system.
The incident occurred at 4-4 in the first set when a Kartal backhand shot landed long without an ‘out’ call, prompting chair umpire Nico Helwerth to halt play.
Pavlyuchenkova observed the ball was out, a fact corroborated by television replays.
Addressing spectators, Helwerth stated the need to verify the system’s functionality due to the absence of an audio call.
Following a telephone consultation, Helwerth announced that the point would be replayed, as the electronic system “was unfortunately unable to track the last point.”
A successful ‘out’ call would have awarded the point and the lead to Pavlyuchenkova.
Instead, the replay saw Kartal win the point, subsequently breaking for a 5-4 advantage.
The electronic line-calling system did not register Sonay Kartal’s shot as out.
An audibly frustrated Pavlyuchenkova questioned the umpire during the changeover: “I don’t know if it’s in or out. How do I know? How can you prove it?”
She continued, “Because she is local they can say whatever. You took the game away from me.”
“They stole the game from me. They stole it.”
An All England Club spokesperson attributed the incident to “operator error” that led to the system’s deactivation during the point.
“The chair umpire followed the established process,” the spokesperson added.
The automated line-calling system, a new addition to Wimbledon this year, has faced scrutiny this week, with several players voicing concerns regarding its accuracy and sound level.
Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, expressed confidence in the electronic line calling’s precision and the decision to implement it.
The umpire clarified to the players that no line call had been made.
The electronic line calling technology has been under intense scrutiny this week at Wimbledon, with a number of players expressing a lack of trust in it.
Such an obvious failure on the biggest stage – Centre Court, during a match featuring a British player – guarantees that this topic will remain a point of contention.
Britain’s Emma Raducanu is among those who have voiced concerns, citing “dodgy” calls, while former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic noted that the technology is a frequent topic of discussion among players.
Bencic, typically a proponent of the technology, stated that “it is not correct” at this tournament.
Line judges have been replaced by technology at many top-tier tournaments, including the US Open and Australian Open.
Jevans stated that the technology was implemented because “the players wanted it,” and some have supported the system, including former world number one Iga Swiatek, who stated she “has to trust” the calls despite her doubts.
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The fact that Pavlyuchenkova went on to win the match despite losing a point she should have won means that the malfunction was not as unfortunate as it could have been.
Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong stated it is “going to be something the referee and organisers are going to have to reflect on what could have been done better.”
She added on BBC TV, “If there is uncertainty, that creates anxiety. They [players] just need to feel reassured that the technology is working and the person who is pressing the buttons is doing the job they are meant to do.”
“Hopefully we don’t see mistakes like this again.”
Former world number one Tracy Austin described the incident as a “one-off.”
“An interesting, dramatic situation that I’m sure we will fix in the future but it was tough to watch for those few minutes,” the American added.
Men’s fifth seed Taylor Fritz, recalling a similar incident in Cincinnati last year, suggested that umpires should be empowered to make calls if the technology fails, rather than replaying the point.
Previously, players could challenge line calls via electronic review. The current system lacks challenges and video replays are not used.
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