“This tournament is a fail” – Daria Kasatkina and Sorana Cirstea’s match in Miami turns fans against umpires as major Hawkeye fail goes viral!
The incident has led to a debate on whether line judges should return to the court in order to minimize the error in calling out shots that the Hawkeye is failing to capture.
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Daria Kasatkina (Images via IMAGO, X)
World No. 11 Daria Kasatakina had a poor outing at the 2024 Miami Open, as she crashed out in the third round. She was defeated by World No. 24 Sorana Cirstea in straight sets as she won the tie 7-5, 6-2. But the match made the news primarily for the massive failure of the Hawkeye.
The two seeds left everything on the court as they dragged the first set quite far. In one such crucial point, the technology failed miserably to the misfortune of Kasatkina.
As Cirstea served for the game on the advantage point, her serve visibly landed outside the permissible court area.
The Hawkeye, however, failed to pick it, and the umpire awarded the point and game to the Romanian. Kasatkina was understandably frustrated with the incorrect call and refused to leave the court and move to her bench. She demanded an explanation from the chair umpire as the slo-mo clearly showed the ball landing out.
Her plea, however, fell on deaf ears as the chair umpire refused to replay the point. Eventually, the Russian had to give up and change sides on the court to prepare for the next game. To the disappointment of many, Cirstea refused to get involved despite knowing the ball had landed out.
This incident brings back Latvian No. 1 Jelena Ostapenko‘s blunt interview recently. The former French Open winner had criticized the over-reliance on Hawkeye and demanded the line judges be brought back to the courts as the technology wasn’t always accurate.
Chair umpire Sorana Cirstea faces heat from fans on social media
As the video went viral, reactions poured in on the whole episode. With Kasatkina eventually losing the match, it further angered many.
They took to social media to express their frustration. Others, however, defended the use of Hawkeye, claiming it was still more reliable than a human judge.
Cirstea was also targeted by a few for her poor sportsmanship. Many players often volunteer to replay the point when they know they won it unfairly. However, the Romanian veteran didn’t do so and was trolled for it.
Sharing a wide spectrum of reactions online, here’s what fans have to say:
While Kasatkina was eventually defeated, Cirstea’s run was also cut short. She was defeated in straight sets by Danielle Collins in the fourth round, as the American made it to the quarterfinals in Miami for the third time in her career.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)