- Hawk-Eye technology was accidentally switched off during a game on Sunday
- Another line-calling error occurred on Tuesday in Taylor Fritz’s quarter-final win
Wimbledon new electronic line-calling system was labelled ‘scary’ after another embarrassing failure on Tuesday.
Taylor Fritz and Karen Khachanov were forced to replay a point in their quarter-final when ‘fault’ was erroneously called midway through a rally, leading to boos from the No1 Court crowd.
The farcical episode occurred just two days after organisers had to apologise for the technology being accidentally switched off in the match between Britain’s Sonay Kartal and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Khachanov, who ended up losing to Fritz, blasted: ‘It’s scary to let a machine do what it wants. I’m more for line umpires. The electronic line calls have to be very precise and no mistakes, but we’ve seen a couple.’
The automated call of ‘fault’ was made after Fritz played a forehand following Khachanov’s return of serve in the first game of the fourth set.
Umpire Louise Azemar-Engzell shouted ‘stop’ and halted the play, before making a phone call to colleagues from her chair. She then told the crowd: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, we will replay the last point due to a malfunction. The system is now working.’
Wimbledon suffered another embarrassing episode when the electronic line calling system malfunctioned in Sunday’s quarter-final between Taylor Fritz (right) and Karen Khachanov
Swedish umpire Louise Azemar-Engzell shouted ‘stop’ and halted the play after a ‘fault’ was erroneously called midway through a rally in the first game of the fourth set
American Fritz advanced to the semi-finals with a crucial victory in four sets on No 1 Court
This ball from Sonay Kartal during her clash with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was not called out as HawkEye line judge malfunctioned on Sunday
That brought boos from the spectators on No1 Court, although neither player protested the umpire’s decision.
Wimbledon organisers later explained that the ‘malfunction’ occurred because a ballboy was still collecting a loose ball when Fritz went to make his second serve.
The Hawk-Eye system – which has replaced line judges this year – noticed that three people were still on the court so did not register that the next point had started. The technology instead thought Fritz’s forehand, the third shot of the point, was his serve and had landed out.
A tournament spokesperson said: ‘The player’s service motion began while the BBG (ballboys and girls) was still crossing the net and therefore the system didn’t recognise the start of the point. As such the chair umpire instructed the point be replayed.’
The episode was particularly awkward for the All England Club after they said they had ‘full confidence’ in the system following the Kartal row, when a shot by the Brit was clearly long but was not called.
