At a Roland Garros tournament that’s been defined by surreal scenes, add another unprecedented moment: No. 8 seed Hubert Hurkacz interrupted his fourth-round match on Sunday to ask his opponent whether they should swap out the chair umpire after a dramatic on-court meltdown.
Let’s rewind: Hurkacz up was up against No. 10 seed Grigor Dimitrov, with the good friends and fierce rivals facing off on Court Suzanne Lenglen for the opportunity to face world No. 2 Jannik Sinner in what would be both players’ first quarterfinal in Paris.
Hurkacz found himself down two sets and struggling to hang in the contest with the 33-year-old, when one innocuous line call in the third set completely derailed him on his way to a 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3) defeat.
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At Dimitrov’s request, chair umpire Alison Hughes inspected the mark on one of Pole’s forehands at 5-4, with the veteran British official ruling it out.
Hurkacz, looking at a completely different mark, was outraged in response, demanding for her to “call the supervisor” even as Dimitrov reassured him it was correct. “So BAD!” the No. 10 seed later shouted in the direction of his team.
Despite seeming to move on quickly from it and blasting his way to 6-5, Hurkacz decided to revisit the issue during the changeover.