The French Open 2020 was home to some unusual controversy today. The incident took place during the first-round match between Laura Siegemund and Kristina Mladenovic. A controversial call by the chair umpire saw Kristina lose a set point and ultimately the set and match.
Leading 5-1 in the first set, Kristina was looking forward to taking a lead in the match. A drop shot from the French national did its job and fell short of her German opponent. Siegemund returned the drop shot, but only after two bounces. Unfortunately, the chair umpire failed to see this and ruled in favor of the German. Kristina appealed against the call, but it was turned down in no time.
Speaking on the issue, Kristina showered her frustration on the judgment. Although, she acknowledged the fact that Siegemund was only doing her job, and was never in a position to give the point back to her.
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“I didn’t expect her to give me the point. She was not the one responsible for giving me the point,” the Frenchwoman said.
The point proved to be the turning point of the match. It is difficult to envision how things would’ve shaped otherwise, but it certainly affected Kristina’s composure.
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“It was set point, supposed to be 6-1, and I think the chair umpire was the only person not to have seen it on the center court. So we can call that a turning point. I don’t know about the outcome of the rest of the match after that, but, yeah, was a key point,” she said.
Kristina Mladenovic lost her focus in the French Open 2020
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The drop shot in question would’ve won the set for Kristina. She was evidently dejected and emotionally rattled after the point went against her. She failed to win six set points in the opening set and was soon caught up by the 32-year-old German. Eventually, Kristina couldn’t hold on to her lead and lost the set 7-5.
Keeping aside all that, Kristina Mladenovic looked forward to making a comeback in the second set. However, her German opponent was riding high on her newfound confidence and the momentum was against Kristina. She lost the second set 6-3 and was ousted out of the tournament.