(VIDEO) Laura Siegemund fumes after ace is replayed in tense second-round clash at Melbourne

A peculiar situation unfolded during the clash between Laura Siegemund and Maddison Inglis in the second round of the Australian Open, when a legal serve by the German was forced to be replayed by the chair umpire in a confusing moment.

The German (No. 48) was contesting the second round of the tournament after producing a major upset in her debut, defeating 18th seed Liudmila Samsonova 0-6, 7-5, 6-4. This time, she faced local qualifier Maddison Inglis (No. 168) at ANZ Arena.

During the second set, Siegemund found herself on the brink while serving at 15–40 at 5–5, having already lost the opening set 6-4. Under pressure, the veteran struck an ace, but unexpectedly the chair umpire ordered the point to be replayed, ruling that Inglis was not ready at the moment Siegemund served.

The German was particularly frustrated, as minutes earlier she had received a warning for taking too long to serve. Siegemund is known for taking her time on serve, using as much of the allotted 25 seconds as possible. However, having exceeded the time limit earlier, she was being extra cautious at a critical moment of the match. “I was watching the time,” Siegemund told the chair umpire when she was informed the point had to be replayed. “You gave me a serve miss? So if she’s not ready, it’s ok?”

“It’s unbelievable, and if I don’t serve, you give me a missed serve?” questioned the world No. 48. “If I don’t serve, you give me a missed serve. If I say she wasn’t ready, you will say ‘I didn’t see it’,” she added, explaining that she had not noticed her opponent was unprepared. “I didn’t see it, I was looking at the clock.”

Eventually, Siegemund was forced to replay the serve, and shortly afterward Inglis secured the break, allowing her to serve for the match moments later. With the score at 6–5 in favor of the Australian, Siegemund broke back and pushed the set into a tie-break, which she won to force a decider.

Nevertheless, the match ultimately ended in victory for Inglis, who prevailed in a third-set super tie-break, one and a half hours after the controversy, by a score of 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6[10-7].

Siegemund bows out in singles but remains very much alive in doubles, where she has teamed up with 2020 Australian Open singles champion Sofia Kenin. The pair have already advanced past the first round with a win over Osorio–McNally. Siegemund is also competing in mixed doubles alongside Édouard Roger-Vasselin, and they will face top-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori in their opening match.

The victory sends Maddison Inglis into the third round of the Australian Open for the second time in her career, having previously achieved the feat in 2022. Since then, however, she had gone three years without making it through qualifying.

This time, Inglis successfully navigated the qualifying rounds and has now survived two tight main-draw battles, both decided in three sets and featuring multiple tie-breaks. In the first round, she defeated Kimberly Birrell 7-6(6), 6-7(9), 6-4, and followed it up with another dramatic win over Siegemund in a third-set tie-break.

The result brings positive news for the 28-year-old, who is guaranteed to climb at least 35 places in the WTA rankings, moving up to No. 133 in the live rankings. Another win in the third round would push her close to 20 additional spots, leaving her on the verge of returning to the Top 100.

However, the third round presents a major challenge, as Inglis is set to face four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, the Australian Open winner in 2019 and 2021, who arrives in strong form. The Japanese star defeated Antonia Ruzic and Sorana Cîrstea, both in three sets, and is aiming to reach the second week in Melbourne for the first time since lifting the title in 2021.