Naomi Osaka vs Amanda Anisimova Halted by Bizarre US Open Technical Malfunction

The crowd is packed inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium as Naomi Osaka and America’s last hope, Amanda Anisimova, battle it out on the hard court in their semifinal clash. Even the likes of 7-time slam queen Venus Williams are present in the stands to cheer for the 24-year-old prodigy as she fights for a chance in her maiden final in New York. On the other hand, the Japanese star is competing to reach one step closer to her third US Open trophy. In the middle of their intense encounter, however, a weird moment caused disruption.

As reported by journalist Ben Rothenberg, “An electronic line calling malfunction” eventually disrupted “a rally on set point in a #USOpen semifinal!” He further added, “Human umpires could never do that, this technology is great!” Osaka hit a shot that landed outside during the first set tiebreak. There was a call of “fault”, resulting in the chair umpire halting the match.

Thankfully, the play resumed in no time after the umpire clarified that Osaka shot was out indeed and the point was awarded to Anisimova. However, the Japanese star managed to earn a crucial set point on the next rally as Anisimova made a return that hit the net. Osaka leads 1-0 in the semifinal as of this writing.

Update: Anisimova beat Osaka in a decider to enter her maiden US Open final.

The latest incident involving the Electronic Line Calling (ELC) isn’t the first of its kind in slams this season. Remember what happened at Wimbledon nearly two months ago?

During the quarterfinal clash between Taylor Fritz and Karen Khachanov, in the fourth set’s first game, the grass major’s newly introduced technology yelled “Fault!” It happened despite the ball being well in play. As a result, the chair umpire abruptly stopped the match. After talking to the officials, the umpire told the players to replay the point because of a malfunction.

Later, the All England Club revealed that a ball boy had crossed the court when Fritz began his serve. Hence, it led the ELC system mistakenly identifying the rally as a serve.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the case during Osaka and Anisimova’s encounter. Speaking of which, the latter eventually bested the four-time slam queen to enter her maiden US Open title clash.

Amanda Anisimova beats Naomi Osaka in a thriller to reach US Open final

While Osaka managed to snatch the first set in a tiebreak, Amanda Anisimova didn’t lose her spirits. In fact, she doubled down on her efforts and remarkable stroke-making skills to make a stellar return. She leveled the fight with a win in the second set’s tiebreak. Later, she humbled the Japanese star in the decider while delighting her home crowd.

After winning with a score line of 6-7, 7-6(3), 6-3, Anisimova couldn’t resist sharing her true feelings on the massive victory. “It means the world. I am trying to process that right now. It’s just absolutely a dream come true. I mean this has been a dream of mine like forever to be in the US Open final and obviously the hope is to be the champion but yeah I am in the final now and I am going to try and get ready but just excited and it’s really special.”

In the ultimate battle, Anisimova will now face World No.1 Aryna Sabanlenka. What may work in the American’s favor is that she beat the Belarusian at Wimbledon in their last meeting. During the semifinal clash, Anisimova overcame Sabalenka in a three-setter. Undoubtedly, the latter will plan on taking a sweet revenge this time.

It will be intriguing to see whether the 24-year-old etches her name in history books or Sabalenka wins her second trophy at the Flushing Meadows. Don’t forget to follow our live US Open blog to stay up-to-date with all the action from New York.