“They stole the game from me!”

By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Sunday, July 6, 2025
Photo Credit: Rob Newell/Camesport

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Hit the proverbial reset button in her match at the Center Court to return to Wimbledon’s quarterfinals.

However, the electronic line call system (ELC) may need a reset its own after a clear error.

34-year-old Pavlyuchenkova completed the race of British fan favorite Sonny Cartal 7-6 (3), 6-4 to reach the last eight at All England Club for the first time since 2016.

However, a mistake from ELC late in the first set by the ELC system, being first used in the historic event, could have broken that result.

With Pavlyuchenkova serving in the 4th, Cartal hit a background that clearly landed a few inches beyond the initial base. But Elc did not call it “outside!” Umpire Nico Helwerth then stopped the game.

Addressing the stadium, Helweperth said: “We will simply check if the system was working because there was no audio call.” After Umpire put a phone call to determine the next steps, he announced ElC “unfortunately was unable to trace the last point.”

The point was then reprinted. Pavlyuchenkova ended later by losing the card game moving forward 5-4.

Cartal struck this blow long at Pavlyuchenkova’s 4-4 game point.

ELC stopped working, Point was reproduced despite everyone around the world seeing this repetition. Crazy.

Pavs ended up broken.

The cartal served for the group, it broke down after having a certain point.

5-5 … pic.twitter.com/si8jenrbdl

– José Morgado (@josemorgado) 6 July 2025

In the next shift, Pavlyuchenkova expressed her disappointment with umpire saying, “I don’t know if it’s inside or outside. How can you know? How can you try it? Because she is local, they can say whatever you got the game from me.” They stole the game from me. They stole it. “

Pavlyuchenkova put the controversy behind her and continued to win the set and the match.

Anastasia progresses

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reaches the quarterfinal in #Wimbledon For the second time after beat Sonay Cartal 7-6 (3), 6-4 in Center Court Pic.twitter.com/25IGOG4HSG

– Wimbledon (@wimbledon) 6 July 2025

for BBCA club spokesman All England said: “Due to the operator’s mistake the system was disabled at the point in question. The chairman followed the set process.” Umpires can choose to call them if the system malfunction and can decide to reproduce a point.

At her post-match press conference, former French Open Pavlyuchenkova still felt that the specific point was stolen from her, but hoped a spare plan could be decided for future matches.

“I think it’s good to delete this topic for the future because if anything like this happens at the very important moment of the match, I think we should have a wire system as in football they have or something,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “So then it’s clear to everyone and we can continue immediately instead of guessing.

“It can sit with me for the rest of the match and then an unknown kind, was it inside or out and some kind of feeling that it was my game. But luckily, I moved quickly from that moment and keep playing.”

Pavlyuchenkova added that she spoke to Wimbledon officials and accepted their explanation of the event.

“Yes, they explained to me now. But again, they said the system was down. It is like a human mistake,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “I understand this, that this can happen at any given moment for everyone. But again, as I said, yes, I think I have to …

“It is such a big match, big event. I think that we already have automatic line calls and so much invested in this, we probably have to look at something else to have better, yes, decisions on it.”

Cartal later said about the mistake, “I don’t think it ever happened, if there is. But no, it’s hard luck. Can you do? Umpire is trying his best in that situation. I think he treated it well. I think the system just didn’t work.

Pavlyuchenkova faces the winner of Linda Noskov ANTI Amanda Animova.