Pavlyuchenkova Advances Wimbledon Quarterfinals After Electronic Line Call Failure

At Wimbledon 2025, Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Britain’s Sonay Kartal, despite a controversial malfunction involving the tournament's newly introduced Electronic Line Call (ELC) system. The technology, replacing line judges for the first time, failed to call an out-of-bounds shot by Kartal during a critical moment at 4-4 in the first set, leading to the point being replayed and Pavlyuchenkova losing the game temporarily. Pavlyuchenkova expressed frustration with the umpire, accusing the officials of bias due to Kartal’s local status, though she ultimately rallied to win the match in straight sets. The All England Club attributed the error to operator malfunction, confirming the chair umpire followed established protocols by replaying the point when the system was deactivated. The incident has sparked debate among players and fans about the reliability and fairness of the ELC system, with critics lamenting the loss of traditional line judges and questioning the technology’s readiness. Despite the setback, Pavlyuchenkova's resilience was praised by commentators as she secured her best Wimbledon showing since 2016.