After navigating three demanding stretches of matches, Andrey Rublev stepped onto Court Suzanne Lenglen yesterday with hopes of punching his ticket to the French Open QF against Jakub Mensik. Yet after a gripping 3 hours and 48-minute battle, it was the Czech 26th seed who rose to the occasion and claimed the spot among the last eight. However, for the Russian, the defeat stung even more as it arrived after a match filled with challenges and momentum swings that never quite went his way.

Andrey Rublev forgets his racket before walking onto Court Suzanne Lenglen

Both the players walked onto Court Suzanne-Lenglen yesterday afternoon for their highly anticipated fourth round clash. The match was scheduled shortly after Mirra Andreeva had completed her victory in the WTA draw against Jil Teichmann.

However, the start of the contest was unexpectedly delayed. The former world No. 5 entered the court holding a child’s hand while carrying two bags. Everything appeared normal at first glance, but there was one major problem.

The 11th seed had forgotten to bring his racquets onto the court. Rublev had apparently left them behind in the stringing area before making his entrance. Realizing the mistake, the Russian had little choice but to approach the umpire. He requested that his racquets be brought to the court so the match could begin.

As a result, play was delayed for several minutes at the start. Rublev remained on court waiting while tournament staff worked to retrieve the missing equipment.

On the other side of the net, Mensik continued with his preparations. The Czech kept moving around the court and warming up while a ball kid eventually came with two rackets.

Interestingly, this was not the first time a seeded player had forgotten their racquets at the French Open. A similar moment took place during last year’s tournament involving American WTA star Coco Gauff.

The current WTA world No. 4 cruised through her first-round match, but the contest was almost delayed before it even started as she walked onto Court Philippe-Chatrier looking focused before suddenly realizing her rackets was missing.

The 21-year-old appeared confused after opening her bag and discovering that her rackets were still in the locker room. After a brief wait and a conversation with her team, a ball boy eventually ran onto the court carrying Gauff’s racquets. “I’m blaming it on my coach. It’s OK,” she later even jokingly added. 

And for Rublev, however, what started as a humorous racket-forgetting incident quickly gave way to a far more chaotic afternoon as the match itself unfolded.

Andrey Rublev gets into heated exchange with umpire amid line-calling controversy

What began with a comical racket mishap in the start quickly turned into a tense and emotional battle for Andrey Rublev. Once the match got underway under the lights, the atmosphere changed completely as the stakes continued to rise.

The biggest controversy arrived while Rublev was trailing by a set and a break at 4-3. During a crucial moment, Jakub Mensik fired a huge first serve at around 136.7 mph.

The serve was not called out by the line judge initially. Trusting the official’s judgment, the Russian eventually returned the ball, but his shot sailed long. Only after the game had ended, Rublev asked the chair umpire to inspect the original serve mark. However, the umpire clearly refused the request.

According to French Open procedures, players must stop play immediately if they want to challenge a call on the court. Since Rublev had already returned the serve and the rally had ended with his fault on baseline, the umpire explained that he could not go back and review the mark.

Rublev strongly disagreed with the decision. Standing far behind the baseline to handle Mensik’s powerful serve, he started arguing that it was impossible to instantly determine whether a ball had landed a millimeter in or out in the court.

“I’m staying on the baseline. Wait, can I explain? I’m staying on the baseline. You think I can see one millimeter out or in? Of course, I trust him [the line judge]. Because they say out, I go to check the mark because I have one shot. It’s normal when you miss at the net, the people go to check the mark, and they say out,” Rublev immediately said as the conversation started.

The umpire listened before offering his explanation. “Now, can I talk? I 100% agree with you. However, you hit the shot..”

As the discussion continued, the tension on court became increasingly visible for the fans. Neither side appeared willing to back down from their interpretation of the situation as Mensik was watching from the opposite side.

The umpire later replied, “You hit one shot. You moved one or two steps on the right side. Your ball was out. Then you get interested by the mark. I’m not going to check in that case. No. You hit, and then you go directly to the mark. That’s how it goes.”

The Russian once again challenged the reasoning behind the ruling. “You’re wrong. Because I hit long, of course, I’m going to do two steps. He called. Then in that case, we don’t check the mark? But how, you don’t hit, then you go directly. But you know, I cannot see.”

The chair umpire eventually urged him to move on and continue playing, making it clear that the decision would not be changed at all as the rules won’t allow it. Still frustrated, Rublev argued once more, saying, “I’m standing 10 meters [back]. You think I can see if it’s out and then go?”

To make matters even more frustrating for Rublev, television replays immediately showed that the serve had actually landed way out. The replay only added fuel to the growing debate surrounding line-calling decisions and the absence of ELC at this year’s French Open.

The controversy was not the only incident either. On the very same day, Casper Ruud’s match against João Fonseca produced another major line-calling dispute at Court Philippe-Chatrier. 

Fonseca struck a massive forehand that was called out by a spectator rather than a line judge. Chair umpire Louise Engzell checked the mark and ruled the ball in, removing Ruud’s set point and preventing him from leveling the match in the second set. 

However, Hawk-Eye replays later showed the ball had in fact landed out, creating even more criticism of the tournament’s system. And for Rublev, the line-calling dispute was only one part of a painful afternoon yesterday. As the match stretched into five demanding sets, emotions boiled over. 

At one stage he smashed his racquet against his bench in frustration. Later, as the match progressed, he also slipped during a point and appeared to hurt himself in the fall. 

Ultimately, the defeat in 6-3, 7-6(6), 4-6, 2-6, 6-3 ended his French Open campaign for this year and shifted his focus toward the upcoming grass-court season. 

Yet beyond the result itself on the court, the disputed line-calling incident once again intensified several questions about the procedures at the French Open, a debate that continues to grow louder as the tournament progresses.