Australian tennis star Storm Hunter was on the end of a “brutal” call during her match against Anna Kalinskaya at the Dubai Tennis Championship.
Serving at 0-15, down 1-4 in the first set, Hunter’s first serve was easily returned by Kalinskaya before the Aussie gave up the point because she heard an official say “let”.
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Thinking her first serve clipped the tape, Hunter hit the ball towards a ballkid at the net, expecting to be replaying the point.
There was just one problem: the “let” call came from another court.
The chair umpire awarded the point to Kalinskaya and explained to Hunter that he “didn’t say anything”.
A confused Hunter looked frustrated with the call before shifting her attention to Kalinskaya.
“You happy to take that point?” she could be heard saying to her opponent.
Kalinskaya, who reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, offered a little hand of apology, but took the point without hesitation.
The incident didn’t have a major bearing on the match with Kalinskaya comfortably winning 6-1 6-2.
But it certainly divided commentators and fans.
“Kalinskaya taking that point without hesitation is brutal. Sometimes a let should be a let even if it wasn’t a let,” prominent tennis journalist Ben Rothernberg said.
“Umpire should intervene here as it clearly hindrance from outside. I don’t usually blame umpires as I know from experience that it’s a hell of a job. But here you just need to step up for the integrity of the game,” a fan said.
“That’s poor sportsmanship from Kalinskaya imo (even if it’s legal),” another fan added.
Although one fan suspected many players would have taken the point.
“To be fair to Kalinskaya, if the umpire has called it her point why would she disagree? I’m not sure many would (and she played the return properly as if it was in play herself),” they said.
Hunter is riding high after her best performance at a grand slam when she reached the third round of the Australian Open last month.
She also reached the semi-finals of the doubles tournament.
Meanwhile, the top four women in the world rankings – Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina – have been reunited for the first time since the Australian Open, and Rybakina already has a tricky opponent.
Former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka dispatched Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-2 6-4 on Monday to line up a second round meeting with 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina at the Dubai Championships.
No.1-ranked Swiatek is seeking to do the Doha-Dubai title double, a feat that has not been achieved since seven-time grand slam champion Justine Henin won both in 2007.
Swiatek, who beat Rybakina in the Doha final on Saturday, lost in the Dubai final last year.
She starts against former US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
World No.2 Sabalenka, who has never passed the Dubai quarter-finals, ends a three-week lay-off since winning her second straight Australian Open when she faces Donna Vekic on Tuesday.
Gauff, ranked world No.3, will take on Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy.
Former champions Elena Svitolina and ninth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko also won.
Svitolina, the winner in 2017 and 2018, defeated fellow Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 6-3 7-6 (9-7).
Ostapenko defied 11 aces from Wang Xiyu of China to prevail 5-7 6-2 6-3 in two hours. The 2022 champion has won in Adelaide and Linz already this year.
Also in form is Karolina Pliskova, a former finalist, who won in Cluj-Napoca two weeks ago and reached the Doha semi-finals last week.
Pliskova defeated China’s Zhang Shuai 6-3 7-5.
– With AAP
