There was confusion in the men’s doubles at the Australian Open on Monday as one player caught a ball while the point was still going. No. 4 seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos had a set point in the second set tiebreak when Granollers caught the ball during an exchange at the net. But his team was awarded the point as commentators branded the umpire’s call a “big mistake”.
Granollers was involved in some controversy as he and Zeballos were stunned by the unseeded German pair of Yannick Hanfmann and Dominik Koepfer in the third round of the Australian Open. Australian commentators were left baffled when the Spaniard was awarded a point despite catching the ball in an oversight from the chair umpire.
The 37-year-old had a set point on his serve, leading 6-3 in the second set tiebreak after his team dropped the opener. Granollers and Koepfer both rushed to the net as the German chased down a drop shot, hitting it over the net. But Granollers ended up catching the ball with his hand as Koepfer accidentally dropped his racket onto the other side of the court.
Both men laughed it off but there was confusion when the umpire called the score, announcing that Granollers and Zeballos won the set. Their unseeded opponents walked to their bench without protest but the commentators weren’t happy with the call.
“I don’t know what happened either. This is not right. This can’t be right,” John Fitzgerald said on Australia’s Nine network. “It’s gone over,” Geoff Masters added as Fitzgerald continued: “And Granollers grabs it. That’s not a set, that’s not a point. That’s a big mistake by the umpire here. That is bizarre.”
Masters called for a video review as he continued: “Well that needs to be replayed somewhere for the chair to see because that was wrong. Well, the score stands. A set apiece.” But Fitzgerald wasn’t happy, explaining why it was a “massive mistake” from the chair official.
“What we’ve just seen here is one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen on a tennis court,” he started, as Masters replied: “Well he lost his racket. I guess that’s the problem.” But Fitzgerald continued: “Yeah but Granollers caught the ball. He caught his own team’s ball there.
