"Hard to accept" – Zheng Qinwen slams chair umpire for controversial line call in French Open 3R defeat to Elina Avanesyan 

World No.8 Zheng Qinwen lashed out at the chair umpire for a decision that she found ‘hard to accept’ during her French Open 2024 third-round match against Elina Avanesyan. Zheng made a shocking exit after losing 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (6-10) at Court Simonne-Mathieu on Saturday.

Zheng made a brilliant start to the match and won the first set. She took an early lead in the second set and threatened to take the match away from Avanesyan in a hurry. But things turned worse for the Chinese star since then. It began with an error of judgment from the chair umpire when Zheng was on the verge of a break point.

The ball pitched outside at her end and Zheng cheered for the point. However, the umpire went down and looked at a completely different mark, ruling the point in the opponent’s favor. It not only cost Zheng a point but also gave Avanesyan a chance to make a comeback.

After the match, Zheng, the 2024 Australian Open runner-up, slammed the umpire’s decision to deny her the point without any conclusive evidence.

"I didn't lose a match just because of a bad call. What I found hard to accept is that it happened in a Grand Slam, and the mistake was so obvious. Everybody makes mistakes, but she just pointed a mark that did not exist. That really amazes me,” Zheng was quoted as saying at the post-match press conference.

“The umpire pointed a wrong mark and said ‘I showed you already,'" she added.

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Elina Avanesyan rises above odds against Zheng Qinwen in a rain-marred contest

Due to the indifferent weather in Paris, the match between Avanesyan and Zheng was halted during the third and final set. However, the break in play did not divert Avanesyan’s focus from the contest.

Avanesyan said she played cards and drank tea during the break to keep herself engaged and entertained.

“After a few days here, I guess everybody got used to it. During the break we were just playing cards and drinking tea to be honest,” Avanesyan said.

Avanesyan continued her dream run this year against the top 10 players on the circuit. After beating Maria Sakkari in the Australian Open, she got the better of Ons Jabeur in Miami. The win against Zheng meant that she stayed unbeaten against top 10 players.

In the fourth round, Avanesyan will lock horns with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. She will now be looking to advance to her maiden quarterfinals at Roland Garros after failing in 2023.