In the round of 16 in Cincinnati between Jack Draper and Félix Auger-Aliassime, a controversial decision on match point triggers minutes of discussion.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Félix Auger-Aliassime fails to beat Jack Draper in three sets in the round of 16 in Cincinnati. However, the match point causes the Canadian a lot of trouble.
- After a volley from Draper, the ball appears to touch the ground before bouncing back to Auger-Aliassime's side. However, the referee misses this, which is why he awards the point to Draper.
- Despite minutes of discussion, the decision stands.
At 5:7, 6:4, 5:4 and 40:30, Jack Draper from Great Britain gets his second match point in the round of 16 in Cincinnati against Félix Auger-Aliassime and storms to the net immediately after his serve. However, the powerful return lands in the feet of Draper, who makes an acrobatic save and somehow manages to get the ball over the edge of the net.
While referee Greg Allensworth gives the point to Draper and declares the match over, Auger-Aliassime no longer understands the world. He is convinced that the ball bounced on his side after Draper's volley - and protests to the referee. "That's terrible what you've just done. Didn't you see the ball hit the ground?" said the current world number 19. In fact, watching the replay suggests that he is right.
Draper: "I wasn't looking"
But when Allensworth explains that he saw it differently, Auger-Aliassime replies: "If they walk off the pitch now, the scene will be all over the place. And it will look ridiculous. I'm serious, it will look ridiculous."
For opponent Draper, on the other hand, things are less clear-cut. "I didn't look at the floor. I didn't look at it. If we had video evidence, I'd replay the point, but I don't know."
Even the minutes-long discussions and the supervisor's request did not help Auger-Aliassime. The referee sticks to his original decision. The tournament in Cincinnati is over for the Canadian, Draper will meet Denmark's Holger Rune in the quarter-finals.
