US Open replay error led to umpire’s wrong decision during video review

NEW YORK — The U.S. Tennis Federation admitted Sunday that an incorrect decision was made regarding an illegal shot during the previous evening’s third-round match at the U.S. Open between Anna Kalinska and Beatriz Haddad Maia because the video reviewer failed to show the chair umpire the relevant footage.

“After the review was completed, an additional angle was added to the broadcast,” USTA spokesman Brendan McIntyre said. “The chairman did not see that footage before making his decision.”

McIntyre said the tournament referee’s office “informed” those submitting replays to officials during the match that all “appropriate” footage should be provided.

The incident occurred Saturday evening 11 minutes into the match at Louis Armstrong Stadium, when 15th-seeded Kalinskaya was leading 2-0 and 22nd-seeded Haddad Maia was serving while balanced.

Kalinskaya, the Russian, hit a drop shot that Brazilian Haddad Maia ran forward to try to reach. She hit the ball at about the same moment it landed on the court; the ball sailed over the net, and Kalinskaya, apparently distracted because she thought something was wrong with Haddad Maia’s response, swung her racket awkwardly and missed.

The point was awarded to Haddad Maia. Kalinskaya was challenging the video system added to some courts at the U.S. Open last year for precisely this type of dispute — not about in-or-out decisions, but about other issues, such as whether there was an extra bounce, whether a player was interfered with or, as in this case, whether the ball bounced off someone’s racket and landed on that player’s side of the court before going over the net. That’s called a free throw.

McIntyre said it was the fifth use of video review at this year’s U.S. Open. Most players believe all tournaments should use this type of technology to help chair umpires make decisions.

The match was delayed for four minutes while referee Miriam Bley watched a replay — also displayed on the Armstrong scoreboards for spectators to see — of Haddad Mai making contact with the ball.

The problem, McIntyre explained, was that the angle only allowed Bley to determine whether there was a double bounce before Haddad Maia made contact with the ball — it didn’t — but not whether the ball had deflected off her racket and hit her side of the court before sailing over the net.

When Bley told the players that Haddad Maia would retain the point, Kalinskaya walked away shaking her head.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as we just saw in the video review, it seems to me that the decision was correct and that the ball touched the racket before it touched the ground a second time,” Bley told the crowd, drawing several boos. “Therefore, the original decision stands.”

Haddad Maia also scored another point to end the game, and more boos followed as both players headed to the sideline to make substitutions.

The match ended with a victory for Haddad Mai 6-3, 6-1.

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