Wimbledon apologises for line-calling controversy as Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova claims umpire ‘stole game’ from her in clash against Sonay Kartal

But major controversy descended on the clash in the ninth game, with Pavlyuchenkova on serve.

After saving three break points and contesting a wildly competitive deuce, Pavlyuchenkova looked to have clinched a crucial hold when Kartal blasted long with the Russian on game point.

But the line call never came. Instead, the technology shouted a few seconds later: “Stop. Stop.”

Pavlyuchenkova stopped playing as she expected the call to be made, with the ball falling just before her feet, as she stood well behind the baseline – and it would have seen her gain a 5-4 lead in the set.

Both players proceeded to wait for around a minute while umpire Nico Helwerth consulted with the line-calling team over a telephone call.

All the while, replays showed Kartal’s shot had indeed landed well beyond the baseline.

But upon putting the phone down, Helwerth issued the verdict Pavlyuchenkova would surely have foreseen as a worst-case scenario.

“Thank you very much for your patience,” Helwerth said. “The electronic line-calling system, unfortunately, was unable to track the last point, so we will replay the point.”

The 34-year-old world No. 50 did not let the decision visibly bother her on court. She fought valiantly to forge yet another game-point opportunity, but it passed her by.

When Kartal worked her way to break point, the Brit made no mistake in finally clinching it.

Pavlyuchenkova’s reticence did not last long, as, upon the change of ends, she made her feelings known towards umpire Helwerth.

“I don’t know if it’s in or it’s out. How do I know?” Pavlyuchenkova said. “You cannot prove it… you took the game away from me. You stole the game from me.”

A spokesperson for the All England Club later offered an apology to both players for the handling of the situation.

“We continue to have full confidence in the accuracy of the ball-tracking technology.

“In this instance, there was a human error and as a consequence we have fully reviewed our processes and made the appropriate changes.”

In a steely show of mental resolve, Pavlyuchenkova rallied to overcome the deficit and gain an immediate break back on Kartal, pushing the opening set all the way to a breaker – in which she prevailed 7-3.

Pavlyuchenkova later told reporters she spoke with the umpire following her victory, and that he admitted he saw Kartal’s shot land out.

“Yeah, it was very confusing in the beginning because the ball looked very long to me,” she said. “I tried to play it, but it was quite long, so it was even tough to sort of play it.

“Then I kind of stopped. The chair umpire stopped, as well, the point. Then I was pretty sure that it was my game because I saw it was very long. Then I thought I would just sit on the chair, but then he started calling.

“We were waiting for a decision as the system was down, but I was expecting to hear if they say the ball was in or out. Instead they just say, replay the point. It was tricky especially in that moment. It was very crucial moment in the match.

“I expected a different decision. I just thought also (the) chair umpire could take (the) initiative. That’s why he’s there for sitting on the chair. He also saw it out, he told me after the match. I thought he would do that, but he didn’t.

“Also, I expected, so maybe they call in or out. Instead they just said replay. I don’t know if it’s something to do because she’s local, but yeah, that was particular moment.”

The electronic line-calling system at Wimbledon this year has been a consistent topic of conversation among players, following the removal of the tournament’s traditional human line judges.

Drawn on whether she trusts the decisions made by the technology, British star Emma Raducanu said: “No, I don’t. I think the other players would say the same thing, there were some pretty dodgy ones, but what can you do?”

British men’s No. 1 Jack Draper, meanwhile, said he did not believe the calls were “100% accurate” following his second-round exit to Marin Cilic.