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Eyeballs and Twitter feeds were buzzing on Thursday during the first-set of Victoria Azarenka’s 6-3, 6-1 victory in Doha over Caroline Wozniacki, when a horribly missed call by a line judge led to a rip-roaring controversy.

It all started when a Wozniacki second serve rolled off the tape and landed a few inches out. But when what should have been ruled a double-fault (and would have given Azarenka set point) went uncalled and therefore was ruled a let, Azarenka challenged, only to find that Hawk-Eye evidence of the shot was not available. At that point both Wozniacki and Azarenka stepped to the net to discuss, eventually having words and calling for the supervisor.

See the actual serve below:




At one point, Azarenka challenged Wozniacki, demanding to know if she saw how far the ball was out, and Wozniacki did not reply.

Eventually, after arguing that it wasn’t her fault that Hawk-Eye malfunctioned (good point), Wozniacki pointed out that she deserved a first serve because the argument had gone on too long. Typically, this would be a normal solution, being that there was no proof of Wozniacki’s double-fault, but the umpire, for some reason, ruled that Wozniacki take a second-serve.

Not everybody agreed that Wozniacki was within her rights to argue for a first serve on a point where she had clearly double-faulted:

Clearly, the linesman and the umpire—and Hawk-Eye—both fell asleep at the wheel. An overrule from the chair would have solved everything. But the alternative, an entertaining and laugh-inducing argument at the net wasn’t so bad after all, was it?

Azarenka would lose the point when it was eventually played, but go on to take the game, the set and the match.

Next time we recommend that Azarenka umpires, too:

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