Sara Errani blows up after chair umpire makes a terrible call

MASON, Ohio -- Sara Errani was left fuming after an inexplicable overrule by the chair umpire may have cost her a point in the middle of the third set of her
Sara Errani blows up after chair umpire makes a terrible call
Sara Errani blows up after chair umpire makes a terrible call /

MASON, Ohio -- Sara Errani was left fuming after an inexplicable overrule by the chair umpire may have cost her a point in the middle of the third set of her first round match against Yanina Wickmayer at the Western and Southern Open.

At three-all, deuce in the final set, Errani hit a serve that landed well in the service box, but the chair umpire Richard Haigh overruled it as a fault. Incredulous, the Italian called for a Hawkeye challenge which showed the ball in. The chair umpire called for the point to be replayed and Errani popped off, saying that Wickmayer's return landed wide and the umpire's overrule came after Wickmayer struck the return.

"Sara, I saw the ball like this," Haigh said. "I made the mistake, it's my mistake, but we have to replay [the point]."

This was a terrible overrule, no doubt. But is Errani right that she deserved the point? It isn't clear whether Wickmayer's return landed in or out and the line umpire never made a call because of the service overrule. In fact, if the ball was in, then Wickmayer has all the right to be angry, as it would appear to have robbed her of a clean return winner. Regardless of the error, Errani went on to win 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (2).

Watch the whole exchange below:

(h/t @theoverule)


Published
Courtney Nguyen
COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.