Wimbledon organisers have issued an apology after a significant malfunction of the electronic line-calling system on Centre Court led to missed calls and controversy during a match on Sunday. The incident, attributed to "human error," saw the system accidentally deactivated for a crucial game, sparking widespread discussion about the tournament's new reliance on technology over traditional line judges.

The blunder occurred during a fourth-round clash between Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and British wildcard Sonay Kartal. At a critical moment with Pavlyuchenkova serving at 4-4 in the first set, a shot from Kartal clearly landed long, which would have given Pavlyuchenkova a game point. However, with the electronic system inexplicably silent, no "out" call was made.

Chair umpire Nico Helwerth halted play, and after a phone call to officials, the point was controversially ordered to be replayed. This decision left Pavlyuchenkova fuming, as she later told the umpire, "You took the game away from me. They stole it." She suggested that the decision might have been influenced by Kartal being a local player, though she went on to win the match in straight sets (7-6, 6-4) and advance to the quarter-finals.

An All England Club spokesperson confirmed the system's "deactivation in error" for one game on the part of the server's side of the court by those operating the technology. They stated that three calls were missed during that period, two of which the chair umpire called himself without knowing the system was off. The club has since apologised to both Pavlyuchenkova and Kartal.

The incident has reignited debate surrounding Wimbledon's decision to replace human line judges with automated line-calling this year. Several players, including Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper, have previously voiced concerns about the system's accuracy. While the All England Club maintains "full confidence" in the technology, they have committed to reviewing their processes and making appropriate changes following this highly visible malfunction.