American Peyton Stearns Caught in Dramatic Debate With Chair Umpire at Rome Open

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Vivek Devane | Last updated May 6, 2025 2:36 PM ET

The transition to electronic line calling on clay courts continues to stir debate among players, with American Peyton Stearns becoming the latest to express frustration over inconsistent officiating.

During her first-round match at the Rome Open, Stearns was involved in a dispute after a malfunction in the electronic line-calling system led the chair umpire to manually inspect a mark on the court — something she was previously told officials were not permitted to do.

The controversy unfolded when the electronic system failed during a critical point. In response, the chair umpire left her seat to check the ball mark and ruled the shot out. While Stearns did not object to losing the point itself, she was visibly upset about the shifting standards being applied.

“It’s not about the point,” Stearns said during the exchange. “It’s about the rules. Last week in Madrid, they wouldn’t come down no matter what. And now suddenly they can?”

Se armó la polémica

Peyton Stearns tuvo una larga discusión con la jueza de silla, luego de que está bajará a revisar una marca porque el sistema electrónico no están funcionando #IBI25

pic.twitter.com/DN29Nc6lsL
— Iván Aguilar (@ivabianconero) May 6, 2025

Peyton Stearns went on to win the match comfortably in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. She also went on to clarify her comments about the incident that unfolded in the first set.

"We were told that the refs are not allowed to recheck the marks, and after checking the mark she said it was out and then said that the line calling system was down and she checked it," Stearns said. But it's been pretty adamant to all the players that refs cannot go and check the mark no matter what, and I remember in Madrid it was a similar situation. So, I don't think they clarify the rules very well in circumstances like these."

“They don’t clarify the rules very well.”

Peyton Stearns talks about the occasional discrepancy between electronic line calls and the actual ball marks on clay. #IBI25 pic.twitter.com/hioDKXYqKT
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 6, 2025

It's clear that the electronic line system has not been 100% effective on clay, and since many matches are won in closely contested battles, even a single wrong call could change the outcome of a match. Which is why Roland Garros has announced that it will not be adopting the electronic line calling system this year at the French Open, which seems like a welcome decision for most of the players.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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