Umpiring Error Overshadows Wawrinka vs Cobolli Match at Shanghai Masters

During a second-round match at the Shanghai Masters between veteran tennis player Stan Wawrinka and emerging talent Flavio Cobolli, an umpiring error by Carlos Bernardes has sparked significant controversy. Bernardes, an experienced chair official, incorrectly announced the score during a crucial game in the final set. His mistake remained undetected by both players and other officials, influencing the outcome of the match which Cobolli won 6-7(6), 7-6(4), 6-3.

The match, characterized as a ‘battle of generations’ between the 39-year-old Swiss and the 22-year-old Italian, saw both competitors display strong performances by reaching tiebreakers in the first two sets. The decisive set began with Wawrinka serving, where he legitimately secured the first point. Bernardes, however, became distracted after using his walkie-talkie, which led to him incorrectly marking the score at 0-30 instead of 15-15.

Neither Wawrinka nor Cobolli, nor the linespeople, noticed the error at the time, and Cobolli won the subsequent points, gaining a crucial break in serve that was pivotal to his match victory. Speaking on social media, outspoken tennis star Nick Kyrgios strongly criticized Bernardes, suggesting he should have been dismissed from officiating long ago. “BERNARDES SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED YEARS AGO. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN. Potato,” Kyrgios expressed on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Despite the frustration, the match ended without apparent animosity between the players, as demonstrated by a respectful handshake and Cobolli’s warm public acknowledgment of Wawrinka. The young Italian thanked Wawrinka, calling him a ‘legend’ during his post-match comments.

Stan Wawrinka later shared a video of the incident on social media but refrained from publicly commenting on the umpire’s mistake. The error has brought renewed attention to the 61-year-old Bernardes and triggered discussions about the need for improved officiating and technological support to ensure accurate scores are maintained during matches.

This incident echoes past controversies, such as the 2004 Wimbledon match involving Serena Williams, where a similar scoring error went uncorrected because no immediate challenge was raised, a situation further complicated by the limited use of technology like Hawk-Eye in the current ATP tournament setup.