Belarusian professional tennis sensation Aryna Sabalenka is facing Kazakhstani tennis sensation Elena Rybakina in the final of the Australian Open 2026. During the semi-finals held on January 29, 2026, Sabalenka beat Elina Svitolina, but the game was halted by umpire Louise Azemar Engzellwith a ‘stop, hindrance’ call. This led to a huge controversy. Let us read on to know more about it.
Why was the ‘hindrance call’ controversy, which led Aryna Sabalenka to lose a point?
While the semi-final match was on, the empire, Louise Azemar Engzellwith took a ‘hindrance call’ and stopped the match. While Svitolina stood in disbelief, Sabalenka immediately reacted with “What?” The empire went on to tell Sabalenka that she made a peculiar noise which she usually does not make. As per the empire:
By
