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Tennis fans were shocked at Storm Hunter being disadvantaged by a let call at the Dubai Tennis Championships and outraged over Anna Kalinskaya accepting the point win despite the hindrance.
Kalinskaya and Hunter locked horns in the first round of the WTA 1000 event in Dubai. Their clash took a controversial turn in the opening set, with the Russian leading 4-1. After Hunter served, an audible 'let' call was heard just as the ball landed, prompting the Australian to send Kalinskaya's return into the net and prepare to serve again.
However, it quickly became evident that the let call had come from the neighboring court. Despite the hindrance causing Hunter to halt play, the chair umpire awarded the point to Anna Kalinskaya, who didn't contest the decision. Storm Hunter questioned the Russian about accepting the point in such circumstances, but Kalinskaya seemingly had no qualms about it.
Tennis fans did not take kindly to Anna Kalinskaya accepting the point, as it was clear that Hunter had stopped playing due to the interruption.
"That’s poor sportsmanship from Kalinskaya imo (even if it’s legal)," the fan commented.
"Perfect example of why the let call should be done away with. Also, the poor sportsmanship of taking that point will come back to bite Kalinskaya," another fan chimed in.
Meanwhile, one fan criticized the umpire for not intervening, asserting that he needed to step up to protect the integrity of the sport.
"Umpire should intervene here as it clearly hinderance from outside. I don't usually blame umpires as I know from experience that it's a hell of a job. But here you just need to step up for the integrity of the game," the fan posted.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Anna Kalinskaya defeats Storm Hunte in Dubai 1R clash, faces Cristina Bucsa next
Following her run to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open, Anna Kalinskaya suffered a first-round exit at the Qatar Open. She then entered the qualifiers for the Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating Rebeka Masarova 6-4, 6-3 and claiming a 6-2, 6-2 win over Kamilla Rakhimova to reach the main draw of the WTA 1000 event.
The Russian dominantly triumphed over Storm Hunter in the first round, winning 6-1, 6-2. She will square off against Cristina Bucsa for a place in the third round.
Kalinskaya enjoys a 1-0 lead in her head-to-head record against Bucsa, having defeated the Spaniard 6-0, 6-2 in the qualifiers for the 2024 Adelaide International.
