Sonay Kartal Reacts to the Controversial ELC Malfunction During her Wimbledon Encounter Against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

A controversial moment occurred at Wimbledon as an electronic line-calling error denied Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova a crucial point during her Round of 16 match against home hope Sonay Kartal. At 4-4, Kartal hit a long backhand shot that clearly went out of the line but was missed by the electronic line calling system.

Had the Russian been awarded that point, she would’ve gained a 5-4 lead. However, the umpire at Centre Court, citing the lack of availability of a video replay, made the decision for the point to be replayed. This angered Pavlyuchenkova, who felt it was unfair, and she was soon broken by Kartal. Fans on social media were also outraged by the decision, as they felt it was unfair.

However, this unfortunate incident didn’t hold Pavlyuchenkova back as she fought bravely to clinch the victory in straight sets. Speaking about this incident at the press conference, her opponent Kartal, who agreed with the umpire’s decision, remarked:

That situation is a rarity. I don’t think it’s really ever happened, if it has. What can you do? The umpire’s trying his best in that situation. I think he handled it fine. I think the system just malfunctioned a little bit and I think the fairest way was what he did, to replay the point. I think obviously it was just a bit unlucky that happened. But I think it’s…there’s hardly been any of them…

This match marked the first time Kartal reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam, and she was the only British player in the women’s draw to reach this round at Wimbledon this year.