British tennis player Jodie Burrage encountered a bizarre situation during her match against Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova when the net unexpectedly caused an issue.
The 26-year-old Brit had just secured a hard-fought second set 6-4 against the top seed at the Eastbourne Open.
Burrage is preparing for Wimbledon next week and will be hoping the nets at the All England Club are in perfect order.
Krejcikova had won the first set 6-4, but in the second set, she was serving to stay in the match against the British No. 7.
With the score at 15-15, Burrage returned Krejcikova`s serve effectively, forcing a shot to the Czech`s forehand.
Krejcikova hit her subsequent shot directly into the net.
Burrage started celebrating, but her celebration was cut short when the ball unexpectedly passed through a small hole in the net and landed on her side.
Commentator Annabel Croft reacted with surprise, exclaiming, “Oh, no way. I`m not quite sure how that went over? It`s meant to be a British net! That is extraordinary.”
A confused Burrage approached the umpire, who initially insisted the ball had gone “went over” the net.
However, upon closer inspection, Burrage pointed out the hole in the middle of the net.
In a display of good sportsmanship, Krejcikova conceded the point to Burrage after the unusual incident. The umpire then descended from the chair to help repair the damaged net.
Burrage capitalized on this gesture, securing the break of serve and winning the second set 6-4.
Despite the setback, Krejcikova regrouped and ultimately won the deciding set in a tie-break.
Earlier in the tournament, Burrage had defeated Moyuka Uchijima of Japan in the first round on Tuesday, battling windy conditions in Eastbourne.
This was her first victory on the WTA Tour grass circuit this year, following earlier losses at the HSBC Championships and Nottingham Open.
Also competing in Eastbourne amidst the challenging wind was British No. 1 Emma Raducanu.
Raducanu overcame Ann Li in three sets, 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, finally closing out the match on her fourth opportunity.
The former US Open champion became emotional after the win, appearing tearful as she looked towards her coach, Mark Petchey.
In her post-match interview, an emotional Raducanu commented, “It really meant a lot to me and I`m so proud of how I fought back after losing the first set.”
The 22-year-old is scheduled to play Maya Joint in the next round.
