Australian Open: Ostapenko unhappy with electronic line calling system after Rybakina defeat

The
Latvian
did
not
blame
the
system
for
her
loss,
with
Rybakina
sealing
a
convincing
6-2
6-4
victory
on
Tuesday,
but
reiterated
her
belief
that
calls
are
being
missed.

When
asked
following
her
fourth-round
win
against
Coco
Gauff
whether
she
believed
in
the
system,
Ostapenko
replied
with
a
smile:
“Honestly?
No.”

Speaking
after
her
loss
to
Rybakina,
she
again
smiled
as
she
said:
“I’m
not
really
happy
with
the
system
they
are
using.

“A
couple
of
times
it
was
not
even
by
a
couple
of
centimetres.
It
was
much
more
than
that.
But
I
cannot
do
anything
about
it,
because
it
is
the
way
as
it
is.

“First
of
all,
[the
calls]
are
really
late
sometimes.
You
already
hit
the
ball,
and
then
you
hear
‘out,’ which
is
normally
not
the
way
it
is
with
the
line
umpires.
And
second
of
all,
some
balls
were
quite,
how
you
say,
not
a
little
out.
They
were
[quite]
a
bit
out
and
they
were
not
called.”

The
number
17
seed
–
who
suffered
her
first
defeat
in
nine
WTA-level
quarter-finals
–
called
for
a
return
of
the
Hawk-Eye
system
and
line
judges,
which
was
replaced
at
the
Australian
Open
by
the
electronic
system
in
2021.

“Honestly,
my
personal
opinion,
I
wish
it
would
be
the
Hawk-Eye
system
and
the
line
umpires,
because
I
feel
like
that
way
it’s
more
precise,
and
much
[fewer]
mistakes,
in
my
opinion,” the
2017
French
Open
champion
added.

“…
I
think
also,
that
way
it
looks
a
little
better
for
me
on
the
court
how
it
is.
Not
just
calling-wise,
but
in
general
how
the
court
looks,
because
with
no
line
umpires,
for
me,
it
looks
a
little
empty.”

Done
in
two

Ostapenko
was
under
no
illusion
that
her
own
performance
had
not
been
at
the
level
it
was
when
she
beat
Gauff,
and
suggested
that
her
participation
in
the
mixed
doubles
late
on
Monday
was
a
factor.

“I
think
in
general
today
the
level
of
the
match
was
I
think
much
lower
than
the
previous
one,” she
said.
“I
felt
like
me
and
Coco,
we
had
a
really
high
level
of
tennis
and
we
played
really
well.
It’s
a
little
shame
that
I
couldn’t
bring
this
level
of
the
tennis
today.

“Obviously
[Rybakina]
was
serving
well,
but
I
felt
like
already
in
the
second
set
when
I
had
the
longer
rallies
with
her,
I
was
winning
mostly,
so
that
was
my
goal
to
make
her
play.

“I
felt
like
maybe
mixed
doubles
yesterday
was
a
little
bit
not
the
right
decision
to
play
that
late.
But
in
general
I
think
I
can
take
only
positive
things
out
of
this
week,
because
it’s
only
the
beginning
of
the
season,
and
if
I
keep
working
and
keep
playing
the
same
way,
I
think
I
can
be
dangerous
player.”

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