Watch: Bizarre scenes at Qatar Open as Caroline Garcia's serve called out by electronic line calling before delivery in 1R clash against Naomi Osaka
Caroline Garcia and Naomi Osaka's riveting first-round clash at the 2024 Qatar Open took a bizarre turn when the electronic line calling system made a hilarious blunder.
Garcia and Osaka faced off in a highly anticipated clash at the WTA 1000 event in Doha, following their recent encounter in the first round of the Australian Open. Garcia claimed a 6-4, 7-6(2) win over the former World No. 1 at the Melbourne Slam, denying the 26-year-old a triumphant return to her familiar hunting grounds.
Given their riveting Australian Open clash, the duo's meeting at the Qatar Open garnered significant interest within the tennis community. Amid their thrilling on-court battle in the opening set, a bizarre moment occurred when Caroline Garcia's serve was erroneously called out by the electronic line calling system before she had even delivered the ball.
The incident prompted a seemingly bewildered reaction from Garcia and a sheepish smile from the chair umpire.
Naomi Osaka ultimately avenged her Australian Open defeat stunningly, defeating Garcia 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the Qatar Open. Following her win, the four-time Grand Slam champion expressed satisfaction with her performance, highlighting the significant improvements she had made since her loss to the Frenchwoman at the Melbourne Slam.
"Honestly I feel like I'm a much better player now. I think in Australia my returns weren't as good, and I don't feel like I was as focused as I am now. I think that definitely made a difference, especially against such a good server like she is," she said in her post-match interview.
Naomi Osaka defeats Petra Martic in Qatar Open 2R to set up Lesia Tsurenko clash in Doha
Following her victory over Caroline Garcia, Naomi Osaka continued her winning momentum by defeating Petra Martic 6-3, 7-6(9) to reach the third round of the Qatar Open.
The former World No. 1 will battle it out against Lesia Tsurenko for a place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event. Tsurenko pulled off a stunning upset against fourth seed Ons Jabeur, beating the Tunisian 6-3, 6-2 to book her place against the four-time Grand Slam champion.
Naomi Osaka leads 2-1 in her head-to-head record against Tsurenko. However, it was the Ukrainian who emerged victorious in their most recent clash in the 2019 Brisbane International semifinals, winning 6-2, 6-4.
Should Osaka triumph over Tsurenko in the third round, she will take on the winner of the match between Karolina Pliskova and Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals in Doha.