JACK DRAPER secured his spot in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open with the “most” controversial match point ever’.
The British No1 came from a set down to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, but some were enraged by the tennis ace winning the final point.
The umpire ruled that Draper’s shot was a volleyed winner as the ball hit the frame of his racket and with the help of a net cord bounced onto Auger-Aliassime’s side of the court.
However, the Canadian argued that Draper had initially “shanked it on the floor” before it looped over.
Draper asked the umpire for a replay, saying “I would replay it, if there was a replay, I would replay but I don’t know.”
His opponent responded: “Jack, you know, it doesn’t matter where you were looking, you’ve played enough that you know when you hit it, you know where it went”.
Then after a heated exchange with Gregory Allensworth, Auger-Aliassime told the umpire he would look “ridiculous” if he did not change his decision.
He added: “You’re going to get out now and then it’s going to go everywhere and it’s going to look ridiculous.
“I’m serious, it’s going to look ridiculous.
“It is going to be crazy. I know it is not his [Draper’s] place to make that call, it’s match point for him, it’s the win for him, but it’s your place to make that call.
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“Are you seriously not coming back on your call.”
The controversial point prompted a debate on social media, with Stefanos Tsitsipas – who lost to Draper in the previous round – giving his say on the incident.
He posted: “Oh my, I don’t think I have ever seen a shot like this.”
And Australian star Nick Kyrgios criticised Draper.
He tweeted: “Mate. Horrible call, but every player knows you know exactly where you hit it hahaha ridiculous stuff.”
Afterwards Draper revealed he was unaware where the ball had gone in what Tennis TV dubbed ‘the most controversial match point ever”.
He said: “I don’t know, I was looking at him, it’s your call,’ he told the umpire.
“This is why I said about the replay earlier.
“I might look like an idiot now because people say I’m not being fair, but I was looking at him.”
Allensworth stuck with his initial decision with no video replays available to view.
He told Auger-Aliassime: “I just have to call it how I saw it.
“If I had a doubt, I would tell you but listen, we can go back and look at it after the match and if I see I’m wrong, I’ll admit it to you.
“But for now, I can’t go back and look at it.”
Following his controversial win, Draper will face Denmark’s Holger Rune in the quarter-finals in Cincinnati.
