Russian teenage tennis prodigy Mirra Andreeva’s giant-killing Wimbledon marketing campaign has resulted in heartbreak after a 3-6 7-6 6-2 loss to twenty fifth seed Madison Keys within the fourth spherical.
But the 16-year-old has been a part of a second of pure controversy after Keys was handed a match level after the umpire awarded a penalty level after Andreeva slipped and dropped her racquet. Or did she throw it?
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Andreeva, who needed to undergo qualifying to make the primary draw at Wimbledon, appeared set to turn out to be the youngest Wimbledon quarterfinalist since Anna Kournikova in 26 years in the past when she raced to 6-3 4-1 and led 40-30 on Keys’ serve however she allowed the skilled American again into the match.
She misplaced the second in a tiebreak.
A fiery character already, Andreeva threw her racquet in the direction of her chair, incomes a warning.
The warning would solely turn out to be a problem on the finish of the match, when chair umpireJulie Kjendlie awarded a penalty level with the Russian down 5-2 at deuce within the deciding set.
With the sport quickly slipping away from her, Andreeva slipped, however threw her arm up over her head earlier than dropping her racquet.
While Australians are greater than used to seeing Nick Kyrgios annihilate his racquets, this compared was little greater than a drop.
Andreeva confronted the umpire, protesting that she had slipped and had not banged her racquet into the floor deliberately.
“I slipped. I didn’t do it. I slid and I fell,” Andreeva stated.
“No it’s (the) wrong decision. Do you understand what you are doing? Do you understand what you are doing?”
“I didn’t throw the racquet, I slid. Yes I did slip, I didn’t throw the racquet.
“I slid. It’s the wrong decision. I didn’t throw the racquet, I fell. I slid and then I fell.”
However, the protests fell on deaf ears, handing Keys a match level, which she wasted no time in claiming.
But the controversial end divided the world with loads believing it was a harsh penalty, whereas others stated it was truthful sufficient after her first code violation.
The 16-year-old was visibly upset on the finish of the match and refused to shake arms with the umpire.
Former males’s world No. 1 Andy Roddick tweeted: “I don’t think she does the racket thing if she doesn’t slip. Seems like a reaction to that ……. This seems like an overreach.”
One fan posted: “What a s**t way for Andreeva to lose that match. Point penalty for match point. Grim.”
Another commented: “Yeah I wouldn’t be shaking the umpires hand after handing her opponent match point for a violation after this fall️ and then losing the match. That’s terrible.”
Another stated: “Poor Andreeva – harsh call from the umpire. I think she did *slightly* throw her racket but it was no worse than we see from other players, and it was exaggerated by the fact she did actually slip. What shame to end the match that way.”
The Tennis Letter Twitter web page additionally wrote: “Looking at this, she clearly lost her footing. She released the racquet, but I think the umpire could’ve let this one slide. Sad ending.”
But there have been additionally loads who believed the penalty was justified.
Aussie broadcaster Quentin Hull wrote: “Teenage prodigies don’t win fans by storming past the chair umpire without offering respect. She’ll learn, but the world’s biggest tournament is the worst place for a tanty.”
Post-match, Keys appeared shocked she’d pulled off the comeback however paid tribute to her younger rival.
“I knew she’s a phenomenal player. I knew I had to stay in the match and get an opportunity to break back. I got the momentum and kept going,” Keys stated.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling the pressure (of facing a qualifier). I didn’t want to be the first player to lose to her to get to her first quarter-final at a Slam.”
Keys will now go on to play the winner of No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka and No. 21 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Source: www.news.com.au
