Elena Rybakina expressed a complete lack of trust in the electronic line-calling system at the Madrid Open following a controversial decision during her three-set victory over Zheng Qinwen on Sunday.
Rybakina, who won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, argued with umpire Julie Kjendlie after Zheng was awarded an ace on a serve that the Kazakh believed was wide. The point occurred at 30-0, with Zheng trailing 4-3 in the second set.
Rybakina pointed to the mark on the clay court and asked Kjendlie to step down from her chair to inspect it, but the official refused, stating she had to rely on the electronic system.
"The system is wrong, this is not a joke," Rybakina told the umpire. "Well with this thing, I won't trust it at all, because there was no mark even close to what the TV showed."
The incident echoes a similar controversy from last year's Madrid Open, when Alexander Zverev was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct after taking a picture of a disputed ball mark. Zverev had claimed a "malfunction in the system" after a ball was called in that he believed had gone wide.
"It was, I think, similar to what Zverev had last year because it was in front of her nose. You can't not see it. It was pretty frustrating," Rybakina added. "It's kind of a stolen point. I understand it was her serve and she was serving really well, but it's really frustrating."