Bizarre scenes at Cincinnati Open as technical glitch in Hawkeye sends out wrong call, disrupts Novak Djokovic & Carlos Alcaraz's rally in title clash
During the 2023 Cincinnati Open final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, an unexpected and bizarre interruption occurred due to a strange glitch in the electronic line-calling system.
In a highly anticipated rematch of their epic Wimbledon 2023 final, Djokovic and Alcaraz locked horns in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event on Sunday, August 20. The match commenced in thrilling fashion with the Serb securing the first breakthrough by breaking the Spaniard's serve to take a 4-2 lead.
However, his lead was short-lived as the World No. 1 swiftly broke back before holding his serve to level the set at 4-4.
As Djokovic served at 15-30, 4-4, in the opening set, the match took a bizarre turn when a technical glitch in the Hawkeye line-calling system erroneously called out a "fault" while the players were engaged in a rally. The Serb looked especially bewildered by the unusual occurrence before the chair umpire called for the point to be replayed.
Following the unusual interruption, Alcaraz edged past the former World No. 1 to claim the opening set 7-5 and subsequently secured an early break in the second set. Despite the setback, the 23-time Grand Slam champion fought back to erase the deficit. He fended off a championship point at 5-6 in the tiebreak before leveling the scores and forcing a decider.
Djokovic then extended his dominant tiebreak record to 24-5 this season as he claimed a 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) victory in three hours and 49 minutes. With his win, the World No. 2 registered his record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 title.
Novak Djokovic narrows rankings gap to Carlos Alcaraz with Cincinnati Open triumph
Novak Djokovic's remarkable triumph in the 2023 Cincinnati Open final has propelled him significantly closer to Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP rankings, giving him the opportunity to reclaim the World No. 1 ranking at the upcoming US Open.
Despite his defeat, Alcaraz has maintained his position atop the ATP rankings with 9,815 points to his name. The Spaniard will enter the final Grand Slam of the season as both the defending champion and the top seed.
However, with his win in Cincinnati, the Serb has gained 1000 ranking points, bringing his total to 9,795 points, with only a narrow 20-point gap separating him from Alcaraz in the lead-up to the US Open.
Given that Alcaraz is the defending champion in New York, he will not have the opportunity to gain any points at this year's edition of the Major. On the other hand, Djokovic, who did not compete at last year's US Open, will be able to reclaim the World No. 1 ranking with a first-round victory at the Grand Slam.