“Horrendous" double-bounce controversy on match point triggers demands for video review system

CINCINNATI—Did we just witness the turning point in the issue of tennis’ lack of a video review system? After Friday night’s controversial end to the Cincinnati Open third-round clash between Jack Draper and Félix Auger-Aliassime, that may finally be the case.

Players are still chiming in on social media after a likely double-bounce on match point during the pair’s third-round clash went uncalled by chair umpire Greg Allensworth—handing Draper the point and a place in his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal of the year.

After dropping the opening set on Grandstand, Draper rallied back and was serving for the match against Auger-Aliassime at 5-7, 6-4, 5-4, 40-30. That’s when he appeared to mishit a half-volley into the ground, with the ball popping up and clipping the net before floating over to Auger-Aliassime’s side of the court.

Read More: After multiple electronic line-calling blunders in Cincy, Montreal, ATP issues "common sense" rule change

Both players appeared taken aback when Allensworth awarded the point, and the match, to Draper. Auger-Aliassime swiftly approached the chair to make his case.

“That’s horrendous what you just did,” the Canadian railed. “Did you not see the ball bounce on the floor? He shanked it on the floor!”

⬇️ WATCH: Double-bounce controversy on match point! Jack Draper defeats Felix Auger-Aliassime in Cincinnati third round ⬇️

Despite Draper offering to replay the point multiple times throughout the ensuing discussion—one that grew to involv ATP Supervisor Roland Herfel arriving on court to mediate—Allensworth himself was unmoved. The chair umpire maintained that, because he didn’t see the double-bounce for himself, the point belonged to Draper.

"You're going to get out now, and then (this clip) is going to be everywhere,” Auger-Aliassime predicted during the nearly five-minute discussion.

“It's going to look ridiculous. It's going to be crazy."

Although he may not have won the argument on Friday night, the cool-headed Canadian was right when he said the clip would be “everywhere.” Even while the discussion was still going on Grandstand, the controversy had already kicked off a flurry of debate on social media.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, in a rare deviation from his usual ‘motivational quote’-inspired social media posts, took to Twitter/X to share a damning slow-motion replay video of the incident:

“I don’t think I have ever seen a shot like this,” Tsitsipas wrote.

Fellow current and retired players including former world No. 1s Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic echoed the sentiment, as even more began homing in on what they viewed as the real culprit: the sport's lack of a video review system that would enable umpires to double-check critical decisions.

“I feel like every time I’ve ever shanked a ball straight into the ground, I’ve known that I shanked it straight into the ground,” Roddick wrote. "Also if you have the tech, just get the call right… Takes longer to argue about it."

Reigning Olympic champion Djokovic called the situation "embarrasing" and "ridiculous" as he took to X with his own plea to the ATP and WTA Tours to "make sure this nonsense never happens again":

"It’s embarrassing that we don’t have video replay of these kind of situations on the court. What’s even more ridiculous is that we don’t have the rule in place that would allow chair umpires to change the original call based on the video review that happens off the court!" Djokovic wrote.

"Everyone who watches TV sees what happened on the replay, yet the players on the court are kept in 'dark' not knowing what’s the outcome. We have Hawkeye for line calls, we live in the technologically advanced 21st century!

"Please respective Tours, make sure this nonsense never happens again!"

Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert added that it's "beyond baffling" that supervisor Herfel upheld the call without reviewing the point—yet another product of the lack of a review system in the sport.

"The fact that referee comes to court without looking at tape of the play is beyond baffling, so will just confirm umpires' decision, is egregious," Gilbert wrote.

Darren Cahill, the coach of current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, and Michael Russell, Taylor Fritz's coach, both highlighted the fact that video replay can be implemented with technology already available at most Tour events. The upcoming US Open will feature a video review system for the second year in a row, with this expanded system allowing players to challenge "not up" calls and double bounces—like the one that decided the outcome on Friday night in Cincy.

As players debated whether or not a double-bounce happened—and whether or not Draper, who immediately offered to replay the point, knew that it happened, too—WTA player Sloane Stephens pointed out that this was "two incidents in two tournaments" for chair umpire Allensworth.

Earlier in the week, the American umpire was involved in a controversial call during No. 11 Fritz and Brandon Nakashima's first-round match. After a point was halted mid-rally by the automated system issuing a “stop, stop” call, Allensworth called a let and then informed Fritz that they would not replay the point because Fritz “didn’t stop the point in time”—despite the Cincy event not featuring a challenge system for players.

The immediate outrage prompted the ATP to issue a swift change to the electronic line-calling rules, but for players including Stephens the fallout didn't go far enough.

"Serious question: What consequences does the chair umpire face? This is two incidents in two tournaments for the same umpire," Stephens wrote on X.

"Does he go on probation? No year end bonus? Can’t work the next Grand Slam? Fine? I’m genuinely curious."

Shapovalov, who was defaulted by umpire Allensworth in Washington D.C. after swearing at a fan but later got the ruling overturned on appeal, summed up the mood of the players quite succinctly in two emojis: