Wimbledon’s controversial electronic line-calling system came under fire again on Tuesday after a glaring malfunction disrupted Taylor Fritz’s quarter-final victory over Karen Khachanov.
During the opening game of the fourth set on Court One, Swedish umpire Louise Azemar Engzell was forced to halt play when a “fault” was incorrectly called—despite Fritz’s forehand landing well inside the baseline. The incorrect call, typically reserved for a missed serve, indicated that the system was still tracking the previous serve rather than the ongoing rally. As a result, the point had to be replayed.
Tournament organisers later explained that the system failed to reset properly because a ball boy was still retrieving Fritz’s first serve when he began preparing for his second.
“The player’s service motion began while the BBG (ball boy or girl) was still crossing the net, and therefore the system didn’t recognise the start of the point,” read a statement from the All England Club. “As such, the chair umpire instructed the point be replayed.”
This latest incident follows another high-profile blunder earlier in the tournament, when the system failed to call out a shot that had landed well beyond the baseline during Sonay Kartal’s fourth-round loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Despite the glitch, Fritz defended the technology, saying he still preferred it over traditional line judges.
“These things happen,” he said. “In that case, I think I lost the point anyway, but it helped me because I got a first serve again. I still believe the electronic system is better than relying on umpires. It removes the need for challenges and arguments—we know immediately, and we move on. I like that.”
However, Khachanov voiced concerns about the system’s reliability.
“Honestly, I prefer line umpires,” he said. “If you’re going to use machines, they need to be precise. We’ve seen a few questionable calls—like one today during the rally where it called the ball out suddenly. That’s worrying. It’s scary to let machines take full control.”
He added, “What can I do? I can argue, but it won’t change anything. I just have to accept it and keep playing.”
Fritz now advances to the semi-finals, where he will face the winner of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz’s match against Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
