Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert advocates for "incidental challenges" after American's heated confrontation with umpire over disputed call in Dubai 3R

Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert has pledged his support for his protege after her heated confrontation with a chair umpire at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships.

Gauff took on Karolina Pliskova in the third round of the WTA 1000 event in Dubai. After losing the opening set, the American bounced back strongly in the second set, serving to take a 5-2 lead. Controversy arose when chair umpire Pierre Bacchi called a 'fault' on the American's serve, which the Hawk-Eye system later confirmed was in.

The chair umpire then called for the point to be replayed, granting the American another first serve instead of awarding her the point. He contended that his incorrect 'fault' call had accounted for a hindrance on Pliskova's return.

Gauff contested Bacchi's decision, disputing his ruling and arguing that he made the call after Pliskova hit the ball.

"You called it out right after she hit it! Yes, you did! The ball was already in the net when she hit it and you said out," she argued. "The call was a late call!"

With the chair umpire maintaining that he had made the call 'right away,' the 19-year-old urged him to call the supervisor so she could clarify the rules.

"Call the supervisor. I am not playing until you call the supervisor. I’m gonna ask her the rule. "You don’t know the answer. My right is to question," Coco Gauff said.

However, the American's repeated requests proved futile as Bacchi refused to summon the supervisor, leaving the World No. 3 with no choice but to resume play.

As fans rallied behind Coco Gauff, a clip of the incident circulated on social media, revealing that the chair umpire's call had indeed come after Pliskova had already hit the ball.

Reacting to the clip, Brad Gilbert advocated for the inclusion of "incidental challenges" for the players' benefit, citing this incident as a prime example of why they were necessary.

"This is exactly why you should have incidental challenges," he posted on X.

Coco Gauff on her confrontation with chair umpire in Dubai 3R: "Maybe I dragged it out a little longer than needed, but I did what I felt was best"

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships - Day 3

Coco Gauff's resilience shone through as she overcame her tense argument with the chair umpire to claim a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Karolina Pliskova in one hour and 53 minutes.

Following her win, the American opened up about her confrontation with the umpire, shedding light on her efforts to remain calm and composed during the exchange.

While the 19-year-old conceded that the argument may have gone on too long, she insisted that she had simply done what she believed was best.

"Yeah, I was just trying to tell myself to stay calm for the next point because sometimes I get angry," Coco Gauff said in her post-match interview.

"You know, maybe I dragged it out a little longer than probably needed to, but you know, at the end of the day, I did what I felt was best in the moment," she added.

Coco Gauff will take on Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Kalinskaya pulled off an upset against Jelena Ostapenko, defeating the ninth seed 6-4, 7-5 to reach the last eight.