Wimbledon hit a major botch as the latest technology failed at the worst moment. The electronic line-calling system broke down during the fourth-round match between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sonay Kartal, causing huge controversy.
The Russian won 7-6(3), 6-4 in just over two hours, but the snag at 4-4 in the first set caught everyone’s attention. Kartal hit a backhand that was reportedly out by several inches, but the latest system didn’t call it. Instead of giving the point to Pavlyuchenkova, who was ahead in the game, they made them replay it.
This let Kartal break serve and take a 5-4 lead. The whole match changed because of this one mistake. Pavlyuchenkova was furious and you could hear her on court saying, “They stole a game from me. They stole it.”
Coco Gauff’s Former Coach Brad Gilbert’s Tweet About Hawk-Eye Error
Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, was watching this match and was not happy with the botch. He took to X right away to blast the officials.
“I’m shocked they couldn’t just look at Hawkeye with the electronic line call down for one point absolutely cost scrabble that 4all game on a ball that was 4-5 inches long on game point,” Gilbert wrote.
I’m shocked they couldn’t just look 👀 at Hawkeye 👁️ with the electronic line call down for one ☝️ point absolutely 💯 cost scrabble that 4all game on a ball that was 4-5 inches long on game point
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) July 6, 2025
The controversy got worse when Pavlyuchenkova spoke out on court.
“I don’t know if it was in or out; I don’t know. You cannot prove it. Because she’s local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me,” Pavlyuchenkova said.
The Russian was clearly suggesting that Kartal got favorable treatment because she was the home player.
The All England Club later said it was “operator error” and that the system was turned off for that one point. But the damage was done. Pavlyuchenkova had to fight back from that setback, though she did manage to win the first set in a tiebreak and close out the match.
The Controversial Match Between Sonay Kartal and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
The match was closely contested, with both players breaking serve multiple times in the first set.
At 4-4 in the opening set, a major controversy erupted. Kartal hit a backhand that landed well beyond the baseline, but the new electronic line-calling system failed to call it out.
The ELC system did not call an obvious out after a shot by Kartal. After a temporary issue with the system, the decision was made to… replay the point. Had the point been awarded to Anastasia, it would have been 5–4 for Pavlyuchenkova. Ultimately, Anastasia was broken…. pic.twitter.com/kvCcy9C3eJ
— Lisa 🧚🏻♀️ (@lisa_talking_) July 6, 2025
The point was stopped, and after a delay, the umpire announced the point would be replayed due to a system malfunction. This decision denied Pavlyuchenkova a game point that would have put her ahead 5-4.
Kartal won the replayed point and broke Pavlyuchenkova’s serve, taking a 5-4 lead. Despite the setback, Pavlyuchenkova broke back immediately, and the set went to a tiebreak, which she won 7-3.
In the second set, Pavlyuchenkova’s experience showed. She broke Kartal’s serve in the fifth game and held her nerve to close out the match 6-4.
