The incident occurred in the 9th game of the first set of the women's singles fourth-round match on 6/7, with Pavlyuchenkova serving at 4-4. It was a tense game as the veteran Russian player faced four break points and saved three of them. The game could have turned out differently if the umpire hadn't overlooked Kartal's out-of-bounds shot. Chair umpire Nico Helworth seemingly saw the ball go out but waited for a signal from the AI umpire.

The ball lands well out, in the controversial moment in the match between Pavlyuchenkova (pictured) and Kartal, in the fourth round of the Wimbledon women's singles at the All England Club Centre Court, London on 6/7. Photo: Sun

After a delay of about 4 minutes, Helworth couldn't review the play using slow-motion technology. He announced that the two players needed to replay the point, which upset Pavlyuchenkova. The 34-year-old accused the umpire of favoring the home player.

"Because she's British, they can say anything," Pavlyuchenkova told Helworth about the "hawk-eye" technology operators. She lost that game and trailed 4-5, but then capitalized on a break point in the next return game before defeating her opponent 7-3 in the tie-break. The second set was smoother, with the former Roland Garros runner-up taking advantage of two break points to win 6-4. Pavlyuchenkova advanced to the quarterfinals and will face Amanda Anisimova tomorrow, 8/7.

"We have to follow the system," umpire Helworth explained. "If they say the system isn't working, there's nothing else we can do. These are the tournament rules."

Recent Grand Slams have replaced line judges with AI umpires. The chair umpire's decisions rely on technology, and sometimes system malfunctions prevent umpires from making their own judgments. Observing the court alone is overwhelming for the chair umpire, especially on a fast surface like Wimbledon. Previously, the chair umpire had at least 4 line judges assisting.

Pavlyuchenkova argues with the umpire during her match against Kartal in the fourth round of the Wimbledon women's singles at the All England Club Centre Court, London on 6/7. Photo: Reuters

Before Pavlyuchenkova, Emma Raducanu also complained about the AI umpire in her third-round loss to Aryna Sabalenka. After losing a disputed point, the British player told the umpire, "You saw the ball, right? It's disappointing that this tournament has such wrong decisions."

Raducanu said she didn't trust the AI umpire, similar to her compatriot Jack Draper. The fourth seed in the men's singles believed he suffered from some incorrect decisions by the umpire when he lost to Marin Cilic in the second round. "Honestly, I don't think the technology is 100% accurate," Draper expressed. "There are some very clear ball marks that the system doesn't recognize."

Wimbledon refuted the players' claims, asserting that the AI umpire technology is entirely accurate. Debbie Jevans, Chair of the All England Club, said the players themselves wanted fairness through technology. "When we had line judges, everyone asked why we didn't use technology to limit errors. Now players doubt the technology when we have eliminated human error."

Vy Anh