‘Most controversial match point ever' leaves Jack Draper's opponent raging at umpire for four minutes

Jack Draper’s round of 16 Cincinnati Masters victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime ended in a lengthy and fiery debate with the officials.

The British men’s No. 1 sealed a place in the quarter-final in controversial circumstances after Auger-Aliassime was adamant Draper’s winning shot was not legitimate.

3 Draper was far from being all smiles at the end of the match Credit: Getty

The Canadian had taken the first set 7-5, before Draper took the second and third sets, winning both 6-4.

With Draper on match-point in the third set, the ball appeared to have deflected from his racket frame on to the floor before looping high and over the net via the cord.

There was a confused reaction from the crowd after the shot, with Draper also looking perplexed.

The umpire then stated: “I’m ruling that was a fair shot. Game, set and match, Draper.”

Auger-Aliassime immediately started smiling in what appeared to be disbelief at the official’s call.

Draper can then be heard saying to his opponent: “I would replay it. If there was a replay I would replay, but I don’t know.”

But the Canadian wasn’t buying it.

“Jack, you know,” he said, before addressing the umpire. “That’s horrendous what you just did. Did you not see the ball bounce on the floor?"

“It bounced up from the cord and went over?” the umpire replied.

“No no no, on the floor,” Auger-Aliassime said.

3 Auger-Aliassime was left furious because of this moment Credit: X@TennisTV

“Like after he hit it?” the umpire asked.

Growing more and more frustrated, the Canadian said: “He shanked it on the floor, what do you mean?”

“I did not see that,” the umpire replied.

After the Canadian continued to slam the umpire’s decision, Draper interjected.

“Felix, can I just say something? I was looking at you.”

But his opponent didn’t agree.

“It doesn’t matter where you were looking, you’ve played enough that you know when you hit, you know where it went," he said.

The crowd then began to chant for a replay, before the supervisor came down to discuss the controversy with the umpire and the players.

The supervisor accepted the umpire’s judgement that the ball bounced and hit off the frame over the net.

Still frustrated, Auger-Aliassime said to the official: “If you’re 100 per cent sure that you’re not going to leave here and that you have no doubt no ounce of doubt in yourself that that was a clean volley winner, and if you tell me yes, I’ll shake [Draper’s] hand and the match will be over.

After the umpire confirmed he was confident, sure enough Draper and Auger-Aliassime embraced... although to the sound of booing from the unhappy crowd.

3 There was a lengthy debate between the players and the officials Credit: X:@TennisTV

“THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL MATCH POINT EVER!!!” one account wrote on X. “WHAT JUST HAPPENED...?”

Another fan wrote: “Draper knew. Felix knew. Anyone who’s ever played tennis knows how that looks, feels and sounds.”

“I've seen Jack get some abuse here, I don't think it's his fault, he immediately says he's not sure and asks to replay the point. The umpire can't see this for sure either,” a third said. “If anyone is to blame it's the ATP for not enforcing Tennis video replays when they have the technology.”

Draper will face Danish star Holger Rune in the next round.

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