Wimbledon line-calling technology fails on crucial point in Sonay Kartal match
Wimbledon's new electronic line-calling system caused more controversy after malfunctioning during Sonay Kartal's fourth-round clash with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Centre Court.
At a crucial moment in the first set, with Russian Pavlyuchenkova serving at 4-4 and advantage, she was convinced a Kartal backhand had landed long.
Umpire Nico Helwerth stopped the point to check whether the technology, which has controversially replaced line judges this year, had worked, informing the crowd after a delay that it had not.
With no evidence of whether the ball was in or out, Helwerth ordered the point to be replayed, and Pavlyuchenkova, who would have won the game had the shot been called out, went on to drop serve.
Intriguing scenes!
Pavlyuchenkova thinks Kartal has put her forehand long and stops before the Brit slams back a winner.
The umpire checks and confirms the electronic line calling system was unable to track the point, which leads to the point being replayed.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Qkz3Rickj5
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2025
The 34-year-old reacted furiously at the change of ends, saying to Helwerth: 'Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me.'
Britain's leading duo Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu have both complained about the accuracy of the system this week.
After her defeat by Aryna Sabalenka on Friday, Raducanu said: 'It's kind of disappointing, the tournament here, that the calls can be so wrong.'
Wimbledon organisers have defended the technology, which is widely used on the tour.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
18 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Aryna Sabalenka's impressive grand slam streak goes on at Wimbledon
The world number one is yet to drop a set but has been pushed in all of her matches so far, with her latest scrap seeing her overcome former doubles partner Mertens 6-4 7-6 (4). There was not the same sense of jeopardy as there had been in Sabalenka's late-night duel with Emma Raducanu in the third round, with the top seed never behind but unable to shake off Mertens until the second-set tie-break. 'Roland Garros was also quite challenging,' said Sabalenka, who has now made at least the quarter-finals on her last 11 appearances at grand slams. 'I love these challenges. I think every time you go through these tough matches, you kind of bring your game to the next level, and it helps to improve your game as well. 'I feel like, with every match I'm playing here, I'm getting better and better mentally and also physically. So I love these tough challenges. I only hope to get better and better in each round.' The victory was her 46th of the season – way ahead of any other player, with only four women managing more wins in the whole of 2024. Aryna Sabalenka hits a backhand (Adam Davy/PA) Sabalenka is extending her lead at the top of the rankings with every success having missed Wimbledon last year through injury, but she is desperate to add a fourth grand slam title to her CV after heartbreaking losses in the finals of the Australian Open and French Open this year. She is yet to reach a Wimbledon final but it would be a huge shock if she falls before then this year, with numerous upsets on her side of the draw meaning she finds the unlikely figure of Laura Siegemund awaiting her next. The 37-year-old German had won only two singles matches here in her career prior to this year but made it through to the last eight with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Argentinian lucky loser Solana Sierra. Siegemund has an unusual game based on heavy slice and attacking the net, and she insisted she will not be fazed by facing Sabalenka. Laura Siegemund is a surprise quarter-finalist (John Walton/PA) She said: 'Of course I am surprised. If you would have told me I play quarter-finals here, I would have never believed it. 'On the other hand, it's a very simple math always in tennis. You have an opponent, either you find good solutions and you execute well, you go forward, or you don't, and you don't go forward. 'As I said after big wins before, I have this game and this maybe boldness to take out big names. I've always had that, just maybe because I don't care who is on the other side. In a positive, respectful way, I don't care.' It is proving to be a good tournament for the veterans, with 34-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ending a nine-year wait to make a second quarter-final by seeing off Britain's Sonay Kartal 7-6 (3) 6-4. In the last eight, Pavlyuchenkova will take on 13th seed Amanda Anisimova, who reached this stage of Wimbledon for the second time with a 6-2 5-7 6-4 victory over young Czech Linda Noskova.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Wimbledon briefing: Day seven recap, Monday order of play and technology woe
British singles hopes at Wimbledon rest on Cameron Norrie after his gruelling five-set win followed Sonay Kartal's defeat on Sunday. Kartal's loss to Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova included an embarrassing malfunction of Wimbledon's new electronic line-calling system on Centre Court. The singles quarter-final line-up will be completed on Monday, with Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek all on the schedule. Here, the PA news agency looks back at Sunday's action and previews day eight of the Championships. Norrie mania returns Cameron Norrie kept the British flag flying at Wimbledon by taking down qualifier Nicolas Jarry in a five-set marathon to reach the quarter-finals. The 29-year-old had a match point in the third set, but was taken to a fifth by the towering Chilean before getting over the line after four hours and 27 minutes. Norrie, a semi-finalist in 2022, is only the third British man to reach the last eight more than once in the last 50 years, after Tim Henman and Andy Murray, and is the last home hope remaining in singles after Sonay Kartal was beaten in straight sets by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Technology fail Wimbledon officials had to apologise to Pavlyuchenkova and Kartal after an embarrassing malfunction of the new electronic line-calling system on Centre Court. Organisers admitted the technology was turned off in error on a section of the court for a game, with the mistake only becoming apparent when a shot from Kartal that clearly missed the baseline was not called out. Had the call been correct, it would have given Pavlyuchenkova a 5-4 lead in the first set, but instead umpire Nico Helwerth ruled the point should be replayed, with Kartal going on to win the game. A Wimbledon spokesperson later said the technology was 'deactivated in error on part of the server's side of the court', the 'chair umpire followed the established process' and both players had received an apology. Sabalenka and Alcaraz progress Women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka beat Elise Mertens in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals for an 11th successive grand slam appearance. The victory was her 46th of the season – way ahead of any other player, with only four women managing more wins in the whole of 2024 – but having lost in the Australian Open and French Open finals so far this year, she is desperate to win Wimbledon for the first time. Meanwhile, reigning men's champion Carlos Alcaraz remains on course for a third successive SW19 title. The Spaniard dropped the opening set against Russian 14th seed Andrey Rublev, but he fought back to extend his winning streak to 22 matches. Match of the day Alex De Minaur has been forced to wait for a crack at seven-time champion Djokovic. The pair were scheduled to meet in the 2024 quarter-finals before a devastated De Minaur withdrew ahead of play due to a hip injury sustained in his previous round win over Arthur Fils. Twelve months on, the Australian has an opportunity a round earlier. Order of play Centre Court (from 1.30pm) Novak Djokovic (6) v Alex De Minaur (11)Mirra Andreeva (7) v Emma Navarro (10)Jannik Sinner (1) v Grigor Dimitrov (19) Court One (from 1pm) Ekaterina Alexandrova (17) v Belinda BencicBen Shelton (10) v Lorenzo SonegoIga Swiatek (8) v Clara Tauson (23) Weather Heavy rain changing to sunny intervals by late morning, with a maximum temperature of 23C, according to the Met Office.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Wimbledon star forced to borrow shorts from her coach after breaking strict rule
The All England Club has long had a strict dress code, and Wimbledon star Anna Kournikova famously fell foul of one of its rules It's not just on Centre Court where you can get in trouble for breaking strict dress code rules at Wimbledon - it can happen on the practice court too! Infamously, Anna Kournikova once had to borrow a pair of shorts from her coach during a practice session after violating the All England Club's strict dress code. At SW19, players are almost always required to wear all-white. There have of course been exceptions. For example, this year, players were allowed to wear black armbands to pay tribute to tragic Liverpool star Diogo Jota following his death on Thursday. But mostly, players have largely had to wear nothing but white on court down the years. And that's something which, before the 2002 tournament had even begun, Russia ace Kournikova fell foul of. At the time she was ranked No.54 in the world and was competing at SW19 for the final time in her career. But she found herself reprimanded for turning up to practice in a pair of black shorts. Before she could even step onto the court, Kournikova was sternly informed by tournament officials that she needed to change her attire. Unfortunately, she did not have a pair of white shorts on her person and had to resort to another option. Thus, she borrowed a pair from the legendary late coach Nick Bollettieri in order to comply with the rules and stay on court. In 1963, rules were implemented requiring all competitors to dress 'predominantly in white'. Then 32 years later, the wording was altered to 'almost entirely white.' This rule applies both during matches and on the practice court. Kournikova isn't the only one who has skirted the regulations and she did make sure to don all-white for her opening match against Tatiana Panova - although, she ended up losing in three sets. She did reach the women's doubles semi-finals that year however, before falling to eventual champions Serena and Venus Williams. Andre Agassi famously skipped the tournament from 1988 to 1990 in protest of the all-white clothing rule, later expressing in his autobiography: "I resent rules, but especially arbitrary rules. Why must I wear white? I don't want to wear white. "Why should it matter to these people what I wear? Above all, I took offence at being barred and blocked and made to feel unwanted." Nick Kyrgios caused a stir when he stepped onto Centre Court in 2022 sporting a red cap and red trainers, and he has recently urged the tournament to scrap the all-white dress code to allow players more freedom to express their individuality at the Grand Slam.
