How a tennis player spoiled their own brilliance \u2013 and lost a match<\/p>\n
The hindrance rule in tennis<\/a> is designed to stop a player affecting their opponent\u2019s shot. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was called on it during her Australian Open semifinal against Elina Svitolina, because she reacted to thinking she had missed a shot after doing her usual grunt.<\/p>\n The ball went in, and chair umpire Louise Engzell deemed that the extra noise hindered Svitolina as she went to hit it. Sabalenka protested \u2014 but only a little \u2014 and lost the point.<\/p>\n At last week\u2019s Rio de Janeiro Open, there was an even more severe case of a hindrance hindering the player who committed it much more than the player on the other side of the net.<\/p>\n Daniel Altmaier was down 6-4, 6-6 to Du\u0161an Lajovi\u0107, with the second-set tiebreak at 7-7 and Altmaier two points from either extending the match or losing it. Stuck in his backhand corner, Altmaier was on defense as Lajovi\u0107 whipped an inside-out forehand crosscourt. Deep behind the baseline, the German looked to only have one option: A defensive slice or drive to fend off his opponent.<\/p>\n Instead, he produced a moment of utter genius, with this beautifully judged backhand drop shot that Lajovi\u0107 had no chance of reaching:<\/p>\n A perfect, potentially match-saving shot, and the scoreboard ticked up to 8-7 \u2026 To Lajovi\u0107? After a clear double bounce on his side?<\/p>\n They say seeing is believing, but in this case it is hearing that reveals the truth. Sound up:<\/p>\n After hitting the drop shot, Altmaier wrongly believed he had messed it up, even though the ball never got close to the sideline or particularly low to the net. He let out a cry of anguish, saying \u201cno, no!\u201d Even though Lajovi\u0107 was never going to reach the ball, the chair umpire correctly called a hindrance and awarded Lajovi\u0107 a point he would have lost had Altmaier kept his mouth shut. One point later, the match was over and Altmaier was going home. Silence truly is golden.<\/p>\n \u2014 James Hansen<\/p>\n How did Jessica Pegula and Carlos Alcaraz make statements?<\/p>\n From semifinals.jpeg, to champion.jpeg. Jessica Pegula added the gloss her consistency since the 2025 U.S. Open deserved Saturday, winning the Dubai Tennis Championships 6-2, 6-4 over Ukraine\u2019s Elina Svitolina.<\/p>\n Pegula had reached the semifinals of seven consecutive tournaments, including last year\u2019s U.S. Open, without lifting a trophy at the end. Against Svitolina, who had come through a marathon three-hour semifinal against Coco Gauff, she played the devastatingly clean tennis that defines her best performances to earn the fourth WTA 1000 title of her career, the level one rung below the Grand Slams.<\/p>\n When it was over, Pegula credited improvements she had made during the past six months, designed to optimize her style of tennis, instead of just more general improvements.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019OK, this is how you play, it\u2019s special. How do we make that more efficient?\u2019 That\u2019s a lot more efficient footwork, taking the ball earlier, being able to flow through my shots a little bit better,\u201d she said in a news conference.<\/p>\n \n Jessica Pegula\u2019s Dubai Tennis Championships title is her fourth at WTA 1000 level. (Ryan Lim \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n The American\u2019s title also emphasizes the strength at the top of the WTA Tour. Pegula now has 6,768 rankings points but is \u201cjust\u201d No. 5 in the world, with over 6,000 points needed to get inside the top six. Men\u2019s world No. 3, Novak Djokovic, has 5,280 points, almost 1,500 fewer than Pegula. And despite myriad withdrawals (more on those later) there were four top-10 players in the semifinals.<\/p>\n At the Qatar Open in Doha, which is an ATP 500 tournament, world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz stepped on the gas to stretch his own points tally to 13,550. After beating Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev in two tight matches, in which Alcaraz had to showcase his defensive skills and patience, the Spaniard unleashed against Arthur Fils as the Frenchman, returning from a longterm back injury, found Alcaraz one step too far. Alcaraz won 6-2, 6-1 in 50 clinical minutes, lashing the ball to all corners of the court and proving that he can now win a tennis match just about any way that he wants to.<\/p>\n \u201cOn and off the court, I am learning from everything, from every experience in my life. I am a completely different person, even in playing, than I was in 2022 when I first became No. 1 and won my first Grand Slam,\u201d Alcaraz said in his news conference.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing myself grow as a person and as a player, seeing myself mature and enjoying where I am, that\u2019s true success for me,\u201d he said. Alcaraz is now 30-0 in his last 30 matches on outdoor hard courts, and 12-0 in 2026. His alleged inconsistency was always something of an illusion, appearing in games and sets but rarely swinging ultimate results. Now it appears vanquished entirely.<\/p>\n \u2014 James Hansen<\/p>\n How did one player have a very special final(s) day?<\/p>\n Argentina\u2019s Tom\u00e1s Mart\u00edn Etcheverry is this year\u2019s Rio de Janeiro Open champion, but that only tells part of a remarkable story.<\/p>\n The tournament\u2019s semifinals were scheduled to be played Saturday, but persistent rain meant that only 50 minutes of Etcheverry\u2019s semifinal against V\u00edt Kop\u0159iva of the Czech Republic went ahead. At what proved to be the end of the day\u2019s play, Kop\u0159iva led 5-4.<\/p>\n The players returned Sunday and Chile\u2019s Alejandro Tabilo opened play, winning 6-3, 6-3 in short order against Peru\u2019s Ignacio Buse. The Chilean was then able to recover while Etcheverry and Kop\u0159iva played out a match that lasted a total of three hours and 57 minutes, with another delay, this time for heat. Etcheverry came from a set down to win in two tiebreaks, 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4) \u2014 and then had to face the more rested Tabilo with the trophy on the line.<\/p>\n When Etcheverry went down 3-6, 1-3, the inevitable appeared to be happening, with Tabilo\u2019s longer rest time set to prove the edge. But Etcheverry fought through fatigue like he had fought through Kop\u0159iva, dragging Tabilo into a third set, via yet another tiebreak and a wonderful passing shot:<\/p>\n The shot that sparked @tometcheverry<\/a>‘s comeback quest \u26a1\ufe0f@RioOpenOficial<\/a> | #RioOpen<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/mH8LmBelHH<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ATP Tour (@atptour) February 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Then rain began to fall, and the Chilean began to hit a physical wall of his own.<\/p>\n Etcheverry triumphed 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4, for his first ATP title, at 26.<\/p>\n \u2014 James Hansen<\/p>\n Is this part of the tennis calendar unsustainable?<\/p>\n The withdrawals from the Dubai Tennis Championships that Pegula won came in waves. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and world No. 2 Iga \u015awi\u0105tek<\/a> announced their withdrawals simultaneously. Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen withdrew. Karol\u00edna Muchov\u00e1, who won the previous week\u2019s Qatar Open<\/a> in Doha; Victoria Mboko, who Muchov\u00e1 beat in the final, and Maria Sakkari, who Muchov\u00e1 beat to reach the final, all skipped it.<\/p>\n Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who defeated Coco Gauff in Doha<\/a>, pulled out too. Two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krej\u010d\u00edkov\u00e1 withdrew after winning her opening match, giving Amanda Anisimova a walkover, as did Krej\u010d\u00edkov\u00e1\u2019s compatriot S\u00e1ra Bejlek and Australia\u2019s Daria Kasatkina.<\/p>\n Hailey Baptiste (U.S.), Ella Seidel (Germany) and Paula Badosa (Spain) then retired injured mid-match against Alex Eala, Jaqueline Cristian and Elina Svitolina respectively, before Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina exited her match against Croatia\u2019s Antonia Ru\u017ei\u0107 at the start of the third set.<\/p>\n That totaled 10 late withdrawals and four mid-match retirements from an entry of 56 players for the WTA 1000 tournament, one rung below the Grand Slams. It carries prize money of just over $4 million.<\/p>\n Its director, Salah Tahlak, called for \u201charsher punishment\u201d for withdrawals during an interview<\/a> with The National after Sabalenka and \u015awi\u0105tek announced they would not be present.<\/p>\n \u201cNot just fines, they should be docked ranking points,\u201d he said, even though Sabalenka and \u015awi\u0105tek will receive zero points for the event on their world ranking under WTA rules.<\/p>\n The Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships are the first two WTA 1000 events of the 10 played in the category per season, all of which are mandatory. Last year, there were two weeks between the end of the Australian Open and the start of the Qatar Open, but this year there was just one, compressing players\u2019 recovery time and travel time after the first Grand Slam of the year.<\/p>\n In her news conference before the Dubai tournament, Gauff said that a harsher punishment would not be fair on players.<\/p>\n \u201cWe already have the mandatory. We get zeros on our ranking for everything. For this point in the schedule, I think it\u2019s hard to play all the tournaments now that they\u2019re two weeks. I think the asks of players are becoming more and more and more,\u201d she said. The Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships remain one week, but the majority of WTA 1000s are now 12 days.<\/p>\n \u201cI do understand the tournament side,\u201d Gauff said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey obviously want the players there. In the past I think top players have always come to Doha and Dubai. This draw has historically been a tough draw. I understand it\u2019s unfortunate this year. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s fair for players to get docked points.\u201d<\/p>\n Gauff ultimately reached the semifinals of the tournament, before losing a thrilling match to Svitolina 6-4, 6-7(13), 6-4.<\/p>\n \u2014 James Hansen<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Why did Paula Badosa hit back at a tennis fan on social media?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Tennis-Hindrance-Brilliant-Shot.gif\")
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