The ongoing tournament in Cincinnati is proving to be a complete pack of action. Unexpected results, actions that are full of rage, and several other similar incidents: fans witnessed all of it as the tournament advanced to its Round of 16 matches. Just hours after the shocking defeat of Carlos Alcaraz, the tournament unveiled another heated argument in a showdown that involved Jack Draper and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Although things seemed to be quite normal throughout the match, the fact that it advanced to the third set added a touch of seriousness to the match.

The Canadian seemed to be quite overpowered as he took the first set in his name after a bit of tussle. While the Briton contender managed to make things even by winning the second set, both of them were seen giving their best for each point. During the third set, the chair umpire, Gregory Allensworth, gave a controversial call in Jack Draper’s favor.

This turned the intolerance mode on for Felix Auger Aliassime as he decided to raise an argument with the official. “Its going to look ridiculous,” he exclaimed, adding an extremely serious touch to the already heated conversation.

Both the rivals didn’t seem to be ready to give the point out as it was the match point that caused chaos. Although the chair umpire already dropped the point in the Brit’s bucket, Aliassime was confident enough over his challenge. “Did you not see the ball bounce on the court,” he asked the official, trying to defend his position.

“I did not see that,” the chair umpire said, ruling over his claim to reconsider the decision. Even the crowd was aware of the reality as a bunch of people were seen chanting “Replay Replay Replay” in an attempt to back the Canadian’s claim.

Aliassime, keeping his calm even after being robbed of a point, tried to explain that Draper’s return first hit the court and then moved ahead. The fact that he mentioned that the aftermath would be ridiculous made it clear that he knew the fans would be coming forward to despise the authorities. However, even after minutes of discussion and arguments, the chair umpire remained firm on his decision, and Aliassime had to exit the tournament.

Felix Auger Aliassime’s call adds another layer to the Greg Allensworth controversy

It wasn’t the first time that the crowd in Cincinnati witnessed a heated exchange with the chair umpire. A similar incident happened during Taylor Fritz’s opening match against Brandon Nakashima with the same umpire, Allensworth. At 6-2, 2-3 30-30, during Nakashima’s serve, a ball hit by Nakashima landed out. However, no call was made, and the two continued playing.

Eventually, the umpire made a let call to which, Fritz furiously asked why was the ball not called out. The official mentioned that there were several shots played by the competitors before he could make a decision, but Fritz was confident enough to rely on the technical measures. “Don’t tell me I need to stop the point when we have electronic line calling,” he said.

But what else do you think was similar between this controversy and the one between Aliassime and Draper? Many players, including Denis Shapovalov and Daniil Medvedev, have already stepped forward to voice concerns about the official. Although there was no strict action taken by the authorities to make amends, this particular incident marked by the Canadian would surely call for a change!