The ATP Tour may be over, but the Challenger events are still buzzing. Players are fighting to lift their rankings before the 2026 season, grinding through year-end tournaments around the globe. In Islamabad, Nikita Bilozertsev and Zach Stephens met with the same goal in mind. But a twist in technology made things tricky!

On November 26, Ukraine’s Bilozertsev faced Britain’s Stephens in the round of 16 at the ATP Challenger in Islamabad, Pakistan. A curious glitch hit the scoreboard during their match, as reported by edgeAI on X. The issue didn’t stop there. Another match, between second seed Jay Clarke and Dinko Dinev, faced the same problem.

At that point, Bilozertsev had already taken the first set 6-4. Stephens then found his rhythm and battled hard to claim the second set 7-6. But just when the contest was heating up, Bilozertsev was forced to retire, sending the young Brit into his first Challenger quarterfinal! Clarke, meanwhile, walked away the winner of his match against Dinev despite the hiccups.

Thankfully, the scoreboard error turned out to be temporary. It’s the first time Pakistan has hosted an ATP Challenger, so a few bumps along the way felt almost inevitable. Still, it was a small setback in what marked a big step forward for tennis in the region.

This is a developing story….