WATCH: Caroline Garcia and the chair umpire break into a hilarious reaction to interruption by Electronic Line Calling in Abu Dhabi

The former World No. 4 had a light-hearted moment on the court after the electronic line calling went off without any point being played.

WATCH: Caroline Garcia and the chair umpire break into a hilarious reaction to interruption by Electronic Line Calling in Abu Dhabi

Caroline Garcia and the chair umpire left surprised by the electronic line calling (Image Credits: WTA)

World No. 21 Caroline Garcia had a poor outing in the first WTA-1000 event of the season. Playing in the first round of the ongoing 2024 Qatar Open in Doha, the French No. 1 went down in straight-sets against Naomi Osaka.

Osaka, currently ranked 747th, won the match 7-5, 6-4 to register just her second win of the season. The four-time Grand Slam title winner is in her comeback season as she returns after her maternity break. She was on a three-match losing streak which she snapped by defeating Garcia.

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The win also meant Osaka defeated her first Top-30 opponent in nearly two years. For Garcia, it was her fifth defeat of the season in her 10th match. Following her win at the 2022 WTA Finals, the expectations have only risen for the former World No. 4 but she has struggled a lot to match it.

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During the first round encounter, there was a funny moment, however. With Osaka leading the match with her first set win, Garcia was fighting to stay in the tie and push for a third set. Serving in the fourth game of the second set at 40-15, she had a rare episode involving the electronic line calling.

As the 15th seed tossed the ball up, she withdrew her serve when the ball was mid-air. Instead of hitting it, she let the ball bounce back on the ground. While it was no problem for either player, the electronic line calling declared the ball ‘OUT’ given it fell outside the baseline.

While it is no foul in withdrawing your service, the unexpected call did leave Garcia surprised but smiling. Even the chair umpire couldn’t resist chuckling over the accurate call although the timing was entirely wrong.

Tough start for Caroline Garcia continues, Naomi Osaka jumps 200+ places

The win over Garcia saw Osaka make a big jump in the live rankings. The former World No. 1 jumped a whopping 234 places with her win over the French woman. She is currently ranked 513th and could well break into the Top-500 with her second-round win.

Naomi Osaka and Caroline Garcia
Naomi Osaka and Caroline Garcia after their 2024 Australian Open clash (Image via: Imago)

The four-time Major winner will be locking horns with Petra Martic in the second round later in the day. Martic survived a three-setter in the first round and her fatigue could play a crucial factor in deciding the match’s result.

As for Garcia, she has now lost four of her last six matches. They have been close defeats but still, early round exits don’t help any player’s confidence. Since she defeated Osaka in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open, she has lost all three of her matches since then.

With the 2024 Dubai Duty Free Championships, another WTA-1000 event coming up in the next week, she will look to come out of this slump and return to winning ways.

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