Wimbledon says a call on a shot that landed out was missed because the electronic system was off

LONDON (AP) — A ball that clearly landed long in a match at Centre Court wasn't called out Sunday because the electronic system that replaced line judges at Wimbledon this year accidentally was shut off for three points.

And, because the replay review procedure that used to be in place also has been scrapped, the chair umpire called for a do-over on the point at 4-all in the first set — much to the dismay of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the player who would have won the game if the proper call had been made originally.

Pavlyuchenkova wound up getting broken there to trail Sonay Kartal of Britain, but she eventually did manage to come back to win the match 7-6 (3), 6-4 and reach the quarterfinals at the All England Club for the first time since 2016.

“You took the game away from me,” 2021 French Open runner-up Pavlyuchenkova told chair umpire Nico Helwerth at the changeover after the game ended.

Pavlyuchenkova, who is Russian, also said in the moment that the decision-making there went in Kartal's favor because she is a local player.

Next for Pavlyuchenkova is a match against No. 13 Amanda Anisimova of the United States, a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 winner against No. 30 Linda Noskova on Sunday night. Anisimova also was a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2022; her best Slam showing was making the 2019 French Open semifinals at age 17.

At her news conference, Pavlyuchenkova said Helwerth told her following the match that he did think Kartal's shot landed out.

“I think he felt bad, a little bit,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “He probably felt like he should have taken the initiative and called it out.”

Pavlyuchenkova also said Helwerth “probably was scared to take such a big decision.”

Pavlyuchenkova was serving and had a game point when Kartal hit a backhand that landed beyond the opposite baseline, TV replays showed. But there was no sound of one of the recorded voices being used for the first time at Wimbledon to reflect when the technology being used in place of human officials determines that a ball landed out.

At least Pavlyuchenkova could joke about the whole episode later. Asked how she’d feel about it had she lost the match, Pavlyuchenkova responded with a laugh: “I would just say that I hate Wimbledon and never come back.”

She also cracked that chair umpires are “very good at giving fines and code violations” and never miss those, but perhaps it would be beneficial if they did a better job of noticing mistaken calls.

Kartal said she couldn't see where her shot went.

“That situation is a rarity. I don’t think it’s really ever happened — if it has. It’s tough. What can you do? The umpire’s trying his best in that situation, and he handled it fine,” Kartal said. “I think the system just malfunctioned a little bit, and the fairest way was what he did: replay the point.”

Helwerth delayed play while he made a phone call from his stand. Eventually, play resumed, Pavlyuchenkova missed a forehand on the replay, then lost the game a few points later.

The tournament looked into it afterward and blamed “human error,” saying that the line-calling setup “was deactivated in error on part of the server’s side of the court for one game by those operating the system,” according to an All England Club spokesperson, who added: “We continue to have full confidence in the accuracy of the ball-tracking technology.”

The spokesperson also said Pavlyuchenkova and Kartal received apologies from the club.

The French Open is now the only Grand Slam tournament that still uses line judges instead of electronic calls.

From 2007 through last year, players were allowed to challenge in-or-out calls at Wimbledon; a video review was employed to decide whether a line judge's — or chair umpire's — ruling was correct. That challenge system was removed for the current tournament, but there immediately were demands on social media from some tennis fans or observers to bring that back to aid chair umpires.

Pavlyuchenkova agreed, saying: “We should probably look into something else to have better decisions.”

Taylor Fritz, who reached the quarterfinals with a win at a different court Sunday, didn't see what happened. But when it was explained by a reporter, his biggest question was why the chair umpire didn't just make the call himself if it was so clear what actually happened on Kartal's shot.

“The chair umpire has to make the call,” 2024 U.S. Open finalist Fritz said. “Why is he there if he’s not going to call the ball?”

Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. reacts during her women's singles fourth round match against Linda Noskova of Czech Republic at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 6, 2025.(AP Photo/Joanna Chan)

Sonay Kartal of Britain reacts after losing a point against Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova during a fourth round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova returns to Sonay Kartal of Britain during a fourth round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova serves to Sonay Kartal of Britain during a fourth round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't scoring the way he usually does, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are still winning the way they normally do.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, averaged 31.1 points during the regular season. In the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, he is averaging 20 points and taking only 14 shots per game.

Oklahoma City has still won the first two games by an average of 18 points. Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 22 points, and the defending champion Thunder beat the Lakers 125-107 on Thursday night.

Ajay Mitchell, starting in place of injured Jalen Williams, is averaging 19 points on 50% shooting in the series for Oklahoma City.

“I think the coaching staff does a good job at just getting all of us ready,” said Mitchell, a second-year guard. "And we have a lot of competitors. Like, everyone’s a competitor on our team. So every time the lights are bright, everyone’s ready to go.”

Holmgren is the leading scorer for the Thunder in the best-of-seven series with 23 points per game. The 2026 All-Star also is averaging 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

Jared McCain, a midseason acquisition from the Philadelphia 76ers, barely played in the first round against Phoenix but has averaged 15 points and made 8 of 10 3-pointers in the series.

“He goes in there, stays in character, stays aggressive," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He’s going to shoot the next shot. He makes the right plays, plays inside the team. He competes defensively, has had good defensive possessions for us. And he was huge tonight. You need that in a playoff series.”

The Lakers again were without scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is out indefinitely with a strained left hamstring. They also were missing forward Jarred Vanderbilt, the reserve forward who dislocated the pinkie on his right hand during the second quarter of Game 1. The Lakers had three players finish with five fouls, limiting their aggressiveness late in the game.

Los Angeles guard Austin Reaves, who struggled with his shot in Game 1, scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting in Game 2. LeBron James, coming off a 27-point effort in Game 1, followed that up with 23.

With the Lakers up 63-61 early in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander got tied up with Reaves and was called for his fourth foul. Upon review, it was upgraded to a flagrant 1 for Gilgeous-Alexander's follow through. Oklahoma City's Alex Caruso was called for a technical foul as the situation was being sorted out.

Gilgeous-Alexander left the game with the Lakers up 65-61, but the Thunder rallied and took control without him. On a fast break, Holmgren found a trailing Jaylin Williams, who hit a 3-pointer and was fouled. His free throw put the Thunder up 85-74.

The Thunder outscored the Lakers 32-15 while Gilgeous-Alexander was out in the third quarter to take a 93-80 lead into the fourth.

“It was amazing," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They strung together stops, they’re playing the right way offensively and things are going their way. Full confidence in those guys. They know how to win basketball games. And we've proven that. They’ve proven that no matter who’s on the floor, they know how to get the job done. And they just did it again tonight."

The Lakers cut Oklahoma City's lead to five in the fourth quarter before the Thunder pulled away again.

Los Angeles will host Game 3 on Saturday.

“We just stuck with it,” Holmgren said. “It’s the game of basketball. It’s not always going to go your way. It’s about how you respond. And this team has proven many times that we know how to respond. And we did so tonight.”

This story has been corrected to show that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 20, not 19, points per game against the Lakers.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves (15) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, front, works for a shot as Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves, rear, defends in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James stands on the court in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket past Los Angeles Lakers' Deandre Ayton (5) and LeBron James, rear, in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) works to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)