Andy Murray slams 'absolutely brutal error' from umpire
Andy Murray slams ‘absolutely brutal error’ from umpire after wrongly overruling line call in French Open semi-final… with Barbora Krejcikova having to win match against Maria Sakkari for a second time
- Barbora Krejcikova beat Maria Sakkari in an enthralling French Open semi-final
- She believed she had won initially after the Greek’s forehand was called out
- But chair umpire Pierre Bacchi overruled the initial decision controversially
- HawkEye then confirmed the Frenchman had made the wrong decision
- The Czech had to win match point again, as Andy Murray slammed the decision
Andy Murray criticised the umpire’s ‘absolutely brutal error’ after he wrongly overruled a line call in Barbora Krejcikova’s French Open semi-final victory against Maria Sakkari.
The unseeded Czech won an enthralling encounter against her Greek counterpart 7-5 4-6 9-7 with her fifth match point, having also saved one herself at 3-5 in the deciding set on the clay at Roland Garros in Paris.
The 25-year-old believed she had won when a forehand from Sakkari was called out, leading to Krejcikova raising her arms in jubilation before checking herself to see the mark left by the ball on the clay to ensure the ball went out.
Andy Murray criticised the ‘absolutely brutal error’ from the umpire as Barbora Krejcikova beat Maria Sakkari in the French Open semi-final
However, chair umpire Pierre Bacchi came down and then decided that Sakkari’s shot had clipped the base line, leading to an on-court debate between the Frenchman and Krejcikova as they pointed at the different marks on the court.
The Czech was ordered to replay the point but HawkEye – which is used by TV companies but not the tournament at Roland Garros – then confirmed that Bacchi had wrongly overruled the initial call, leading Murray to scold the decision on Twitter.
The Scot posted: ‘That is an absolutely brutal error from the umpire,’ followed by a grimacing face emoji.
The decision however did not change the eventual outcome of the match, with Krejcikova reaching her first Grand Slam final minutes later with a calm backhand winner down the line.
The Czech believed she had won when the Greek overhit a forehand in the deciding set
But chair umpire Pierre Bacchi came down and overruled the initial decision as the duo debated the call
She will now play Russian 31st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – who beat Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek 7-5 6-3 – in the final on Saturday following a semi-final that lasted three hours and 18 minutes.
‘I always wanted to play a match like this,’ Krejcikova – who has become the fourth unseeded finalist in the last five years at Roland Garros – said.
‘Such a challenging match where we both had our chances. We’ve both been playing so well and only one can win.
‘Even if I lost today I would have been very proud of myself because I was fighting and I think that’s the most important thing.’
Krejcikova appeared frustrated as she was ordered to replay the point in a thrilling contest
The 25-year-old eventually won 7-5 4-6 9-7 with her fifth match point after saving one herself
Krejcikova also paid an emotional tribute to the influence of her mentor, the late Jana Novotna.
The former Wimbledon champion coached Krejcikova before her death due to cancer in 2017 at the age of just 49.
‘Also Jana Novotna from upstairs,’ said Krejcikova, choking back tears. ‘She was really looking after me. I really miss her and I really want to thank her. It’s really important to me to say this out loud.’
Sakkari meanwhile said: ‘I got stressed, starting thinking that I’m a point away from being in the final. I guess it’s a rookie mistake. I think it’s human emotions, but I think I’ll learn from it.
‘Of course I’m proud of my run here. But it hurts. Today’s loss hurts a lot because I was so close.’
She will now play Russian 31st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final on Saturday
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