Indian Wells witnessed a dramatic upset and a controversial exit as Victoria Azarenka’s tournament journey came to an abrupt halt. The former world number one, who had just cemented her place as the winningest player on the WTA 1000 hard courts, seemed poised for a deep run. Facing Qinwen Zheng, Azarenka struggled from the start, conceding the first set. The tension escalated in the second set, culminating in a bizarre on-court dispute over a disputed call. What exactly transpired on the court?

With the first set lost and the second set at a crucial 30-30, Azarenka approached the net, only to face a lob from Zheng. As she raced to retrieve the ball, Azarenka instinctively raised her arm, indicating it was wide. However, the electronic line-calling system remained silent, ruling the ball in. This triggered an immediate and intense argument with chair umpire Marija Cicak. Replays later confirmed Zheng’s lob had indeed grazed the line, adding fuel to Azarenka’s frustration.

“This is bullsh*t. What is video review for? It’s a clear mark,” the two-time Australian Open champion ranted. The chair umpire told her, “I understand but I can’t..” In reply, Azarenka said, “I know you can’t do it, it’s just a sh—- f—— system.” Following the dispute, the umpire issued Azarenka a code violation, prompting an incredulous outburst from the Belarusian: “Of course I have to get a code.”

Despite the controversy, Azarenka rallied, winning the next two points and securing a game point for a 5-4 lead. However, her momentum faltered as she lost the subsequent three points, allowing Zheng to break for a crucial 5-4 advantage. Zheng then capitalized on the break, serving out the match in the following game. Ultimately, Zheng won 6-3, 6-4.

Adding to the drama, this code violation was not the only contentious moment of the match. There was a moment when someone from the crowd yelled just before Qinwen Zheng’s serve. After witnessing this annoying and disrespectful moment, both Zheng and the chair umpire, Cicak, were spotted giving the spectators a death stare. Insane!

Well, Azarenka has been part of several such controversial moments in her career. Remember that incident from the 2022 Italian Open where Victoria Azarenka was seen spitting similar expletives after facing some disturbance from the crowd during her serve against Iga Swiatek? She showcased her displeasure at that time by yelling, “Close the f——g gate. Close the gate.“

In that same year, during the Qatar Open, she was seen losing her cool and complaining about Yulia Putintseva, causing a few disturbances during her serve. After seeing her opponent throwing her racket a few times before her serve, Azarenka said, “Oh, four, four is okay. She needs a mental coach, she needs a psychiatrist.“

Then a year later, she was seen quite livid with the chair umpire during her opening round match at the 2023 French Open. The electronic line-calling system wasn’t introduced at that time, and she thought the line judges made a wrong call in her match against Bianca Andreescu. She even asked the chair umpire to come down and check the ball mark.

Interestingly, Azarenka had then even accused the chair umpire Simonne-Mathieu of creating fake ball marks with his fingers. She said, “You make marks with your finger! We need electronic line-calling because you guys are useless here! You’re useless here.“

Azarenka’s request for electronic line calling assistance proved pivotal, but it appears the system itself became the central source of her struggles against Zheng. Given the controversy, what were Qinwen Zheng’s post-match thoughts?

Qinwen Zheng heaped praise on mighty Victoria Azarenka 

Qinwen Zheng made her Indian Wells debut in 2022. She reached the second round at that time. However, she missed out on the event in 2023, and then, a year later, Zheng made a second-round exit. Quite clearly, this hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the world number 9.

This was her third meeting with the two-time Grand Slam champion, Victoria Azarenka. She had lost both of her previous encounters with the Belarusian. Zheng made early exits from each of her tournaments this season.  After clinching her first victory against Azarenka, she said,

“It’s not easy. I came to Indian Wells three times, but it’s my first time in the third round. Also, my first time beating Azarenka. Such a great player. I’m really happy tonight.” Speaking on Victoria Azarenaka’s incredible record against her, she added, “It’s really tough to face her. She beat me twice when I was 19 and 21 years old. Just really happy to get this match. Thanks for all the crowd who came to support tonight.“

Has the 2024 AO finalist finally found her form? Time will tell! She’s all set to face New Zealand’s Lulu Sun in the next round. It’ll be interesting to see if she can put up a similar dominating performance in that match. How far do you think Zheng can go this time at the tournament?