Greg Allensworth Blunder Makes Felix Auger-Aliassime Lose Out on At Least $80,000 in Cincinnati

Advait Jajodia | 18/08/2024
Greg Allensworth Blunder Makes Felix Auger-Aliassime Lose Out on At Least $80,000 in Cincinnati

The tennis world witnessed one of the most bizarre calls by an umpire in recent history during the Round of 16 encounter between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Draper. Greg Allensworth made an error that resulted in the Canadian losing the match and also potentially missing out on a huge sum of money.

With Jack Draper serving for the match, Auger-Aliassime returned a backhand, placing it right below his opponent’s feet. The British player tried hitting the volley, but the ball would end up bouncing on his side of the court before crossing the net. Everybody believed that Felix had saved a match point and forced a deuce. However, Allensworth didn’t see so he awarded Draper the point.

The decision caused an outburst, leaving tennis fans, analysts, and players to express their disappointment.

The umpire’s incorrect call has major implications for FAA. He has potentially lost out on a huge sum of money. Had the 24-year-old won the contest, he would’ve won $170,940 as a cash prize. Assuming that the Montreal native wouldn’t make it further than the quarterfinals, Allensworth’s decision cost Auger-Aliassime at least $80,000 considering the latter only received around $90,000 for a third-round finish at Ohio.

Nick Kyrgios also reacted to this fiasco, using different social media platforms to address the situation. On X, Kyrgios gave his brief opinion on the incident. He reiterated himself on Instagram, calling out the umpire and Jack Draper. He also added the point that the decision has cost Auger-Aliassime a lot of money.

“It’s very clear that this umpire has never hit more than 2 balls over the net in his life. Potentially costing FAA hundreds of thousands of dollars. Disgraceful. Nice of Draper to offer the replay, but he has good enough hands to realise that this wasn’t over of the racket haha,” the Canberra native wrote.

It’s baffling how the umpire refused to use the technology available. The ‘human error’ has been extremely catastrophic, costing Felix Auger Aliassime some much-needed points as well as money. Thus, the narrative of umpires being fined for such dreadful calls could be considered by the ATP and WTA Tours.

Post Edited By: Ankit Sharma
Cincinnati Open 2024 Felix Auger-Aliassime greg allensworth Jack Draper nick kyrgios

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Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over four years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,700+ articles.

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