Australian Open: Jeremy Chardy calls for umpire to be removed in defeat to Dan Evans in Melbourne

ByJames Kilpatrick

Updated 19/01/2023 at 04:57 GMT

Jeremy Chardy was distraught in his second round defeat to Dan Evans when he went a decisive break down in the first set after a ball fell out of his pocket. Chardy engaged in a furious argument with umpire Miriam Bley who he claimed called let after the break point, which he lost, was finished. Bley decided to award Evans the crucial point. The Briton went on to win the match in straight sets.

Jeremy Chardy was left fuming with the umpire after he went a break down, following a point where the ball fell out of his pocket, in his second round defeat to Great Britain's Dan Evans.

Evans broke to love in the very first game of the match, but Chardy broke back to make it 3-3 thanks to a fine cross-court backhand service return.

But Chardy was left fuming with umpire Miriam Bley after he went a break down for the second time in the set.

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On berak point, a ball dropped out of Chardy's pocket mid-point before he struck a forehand into the net. Bley then shouted "let".

Evans argued that he did not see or have any complaints about the ball and Bley decided not to replay the point, meaning the British No. 2 was now 5-3 up in the set.

Replays showed Bley called let after the point had finished and Chardy remonstrated with her about it in a furious ten-minute exchange which also involved the match supervisor.

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The former world No. 25 said: "I've never seen that in my life. I've played for 20 years and I've never had an umpire bad like you. Not one. You don't see a ball.

"I hit there a forehand, I go over there so it's like five seconds and you don't even see.

"Where are you looking? Are you looking at the birds? Are you looking somewhere in the crowd? That is the biggest mistake of the Australian Open already."

Jeremy Chardy (L) and Miriam Bley (R)

Image credit: Getty Images

With the crowd on Court 3 growing restless, the supervisor was eventually called on to the court.

"Chardy then asking Bley to ask the supervisor whether she can be replaced as he “doesn’t trust her at all".

Play did eventually continue and the break of serve in the opening set proved decisive as Evans took it 6-4.

Analysing the incident, Eurosport commentator Nick Brown said: "The supervisor was always going to go with what the umpire's decision is. He's going to back her up no doubt about that.

"Watching the replay of the point, Chardy hits his shot, the ball drops out of the pocket so she called a let after he hit the ball and then realised she missed it so then kind of corrected herself.

"In my opinion it's a pointless discussion because you are never going to win that argument. In fact he [Chardy] was lucky he was not given a code violation."

Evans went on to win the match 6-4 6-4 6-1. He will play world No. 6 Andrey Rublev next on Saturday after the Russian beat Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2 6-4 6-7(2) 6-3. Chardy did shake hands with Bley when the match ended.

'I don't know what she's doing' - Chardy explains umpire argument after Evans loss

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Stream the 2023 Australian Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk

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