Wimbledon officials have apologized after the electronic line-calling system was accidentally deactivated during a pivotal moment in Sonay Kartal’s match on Centre Court.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 34-year-old Russian veteran and Kartal’s opponent, accused the All England Club of favoring the British player, claiming a decision had unfairly gone against her when the automated system failed to register a call.
During a crucial point, Pavlyuchenkova believed Kartal’s shot landed beyond the baseline, but no “out” call was made by the technology, which replaced human line judges this season. The umpire, Nico Helwerth, unaware the system had been switched off, stated the technology could not track the point, forcing a replay.
“I don’t know if it was in or out. How am I supposed to know? You can’t prove it, and because she’s British, they can say whatever,” Pavlyuchenkova said after Kartal won the point and took a 5-4 lead. “They took that game from me. They stole it.”
A spokesperson for Wimbledon confirmed the system had been deactivated by mistake on one side of the court for a single game and apologized to both players.
Pavlyuchenkova eventually secured victory, leaving Kartal visibly disappointed after a 7-6 (3), 6-4 loss in her first Centre Court appearance.
Meanwhile, Cameron Norrie became the last remaining British player in the tournament after a grueling five-set victory. The 29-year-old overcame Nicolás Jarry of Chile in a match lasting over four hours, advancing to the quarter-finals.
Norrie, ranked as Britain’s No. 3, collapsed to the ground in relief after his 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (7), 6-7 (5), 6-3 triumph on Court No. 1. The crowd jeered Jarry when the Chilean appeared to exchange words with Norrie as they shook hands at the net.
Earlier in the match, the 29-year-old Jarry, ranked 143rd in the world, had voiced frustration to the umpire over the time Norrie was taking between serves.
“It’s not just nerves—it’s something he can manage,” Jarry remarked. However, he later denied any serious disagreement, stating he told Norrie at the net that the Briton had earned the win.
Speaking after the match, Norrie reflected on the challenge. “I just had to keep fighting,” he said. The former top-10 player, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022 before losing to Novak Djokovic, added, “At the start of this year, my confidence was low, but I’ve been trying to enjoy my tennis more. Today, I did that, and it counted for everything.”
When questioned about the exchange with Jarry, Norrie acknowledged his opponent had mentioned he was “a little vocal” during the match.
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