"Class act" - Bianca Andreescu, Nick Kyrgios & other tennis players react as Felix Auger-Aliassime moves on from "unfortunate" Cincinnati Open loss
Felix Auger-Aliassime received support from fellow tennis players such as Nick Kyrgios and Bianca Andreescu, among others, after he controversially lost to Jack Draper in the third round of the 2024 Cincinnati Open. Auger-Aliassime lost when the chair umpire awarded a point to Draper, despite the ball touching the ground in the Brit's attempt to score a volley.
Auger-Aliassime ousted Aleksander Kovacevic and Casper Ruud in the initial rounds to advance to the third round at the 2024 Cincinnati Open. The Canadian faced Draper, who tried to secure victory with a volley on his second match point. However, the ball touched the ground before crossing the net, which should have been ruled as a double bounce and the point awarded to Auger-Aliassime.
But in a turn of events, the chair umpire, Greg Allensworth, announced "Game, set, match Draper", prompting the Canadian to challenge the call. Because of the unavailability of replay, the court supervisor supported the umpire's ruling and robbed the point of Auger-Aliassime for him to lose 7-5, 4-6, 4-6.
In a recent Instagram post, the 24-year-old addressed the unfortunate incident, wishing that the administration would have a better approach next time.
"Unfortunate ending of my tournament here in Cincinnati but I hope we find a way to deal with these situations in a more objective way going forward."
Brushing off the disappointment, Auger-Aliassime shared that he has the US Open on his mind next.
"Time to move on and focus on my preparation for the US Open."
Former and active tennis players such as Boris Becker, Bianca Andreescu, Nick Kyrgios, and Denis Shapovalov, extended support to the Paris Olympics bronze medalist.
Former World No. 1 Boris Becker lauded the Canadian, writing:
"FAA, you’re a class act !!!"
Nick Kyrgios too, encouraged Auger-Aliassime, saying:
"100 percent bro. Head up"
Bianca Andreescu, a fellow Canadian, chimed in with two joined-hand emojis:
Denis Shapovalov also supported with '100' and fist emojis.
Felix Auger-Aliassime received support from Chris Evert, Novak Djokovic and Rennae Stubbs, among others
Former World No. 1 Chris Evert addressed the lack of video review in such a crucial situation, echoing Jon Wertheim's opinion of putting technology to the right use.
"ugh, and such a crucial point in this match..."
Novak Djokovic, the current World No. 2, felt embarrassed that the players were kept in the dark because of a lack of video evidence.
"It’s embarrassing that we don’t have video replay of these kind of situations on the court. What’s even more ridiculous is that we don’t have the rule in place that would allow chair umpires to change the original call based on the video review that happens off the court!" he wrote on X.
Auger-Aliassime will next compete at the US Open in New York City, slated for August 19 - September 9, 2024.