When the French Open draw came out two weeks ago, there was one matchup that had everyone buzzing. Iga Swiatek, the reigning Roland Garros queen and world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka were on a collision course for the semi-finals. The duo has ruled the WTA Tour for the past three years, and their budding rivalry is quickly becoming the stuff of tennis legend. Now, with both players storming into the final four, the much-anticipated showdown finally arrived on Thursday. And let’s just say, it didn’t take long for the drama to kick in.
Sabalenka came out firing. She broke Iga Swiatek twice and looked ready to run away with the set. At 4-1 up, the Belarusian was serving to go 5-1 when a moment of confusion turned the tide. Sabalenka hit what looked like a clean ace down the middle. She celebrated. The crowd clapped. And then came the voice of chair umpire Kader Nouni—”let, second serve.”
Both players froze. The World No.1 walked to the chair in disbelief while Iga Swiatek stood across the net, looking just as confused. The top seed had to go back to the service line and try again. But the rhythm was gone. The Pole pounced on the next point and broke serve. From there, momentum flipped. Aryna Sabalenka’s stronghold collapsed, and soon the scoreboard read 6-6.
Here’s the kicker: Hawk-Eye later showed the so-called let serve was actually clean. The ace was in. Tennis legend Chris Evert, commentating on the match, couldn’t help but chime in with a quip: “Can’t wait for next year, electronic line calls.”
Another questionable line call gives Swiatek the break.
(HE says out, umpire says in)
Evert: “can’t wait for next year, electronic line calls”
I thought RG would be forced to implement it starting this year. Too bad they didn’t.
— C Kristjánsdóttir ● (@CristinaNcl) June 5, 2025
Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs had echoed a similar sentiment during Mirra Andreeva’s match against Lois Boisson. At 3-3 in the second set, with the Russian serving and down 0-30, things took a tense turn. Lois Boisson challenged a line call, claiming the ball was in. The umpire stepped down to check the mark on the clay and confirmed Boisson’s challenge was successful.
But Andreeva wasn’t having it. The 18-year-old argued that the clay had been moved by the ball, insisting it was out. She gestured at the mark and pleaded her case, but the umpire stood firm. From there, the momentum shifted. Andreeva never quite regained her composure, and Boisson capitalized. The French wildcard held her nerve and rolled through the rest of the match, sealing a straight-sets victory and punching her ticket to her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal.
After the match, Stubbs took to X and wrote, “3-3 0-30 Andreeva got screwed. U clearly see the ball push the clay off the line. Mirra actually said to the umpire, “the clay went off the line” & she was right, there was another ball mark there & that’s the one the used to say out. WHEN ARE WE GETTING ELECTRONIC LINE CALLING!”
The post Chris Evert Joins Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach in Outcry Over French Open Uproar During Swiatek-Sabalenka Clash appeared first on EssentiallySports.
