"What’s a girl supposed to do?": Carson Branstine fumes over missed line call vs Maria Sakkari

Canadian star Carson Branstine took to social media to complain about the electronic line call system, following a controversial point that disadvantaged her during her match against Maria Sakkari. The world No. 191 competed in the first round of the Canadian Open and was ultimately eliminated by the Greek former world No. 3.

Branstine is starting to make a name for herself on the WTA Tour and received a wildcard to enter the Montreal main draw, where she was drawn against Sakkari. After a start that heavily favored the Greek, Branstine managed to fight back in the second set and overcome a 0-3 deficit in the third set to level the score.

Branstine was serving at 5-6 with the possibility of sending everything to a tie-break to decide the winner. With the score at 30-15 in favor of the Canadian, a rally saw Sakkari's backhand clearly out, bouncing several centimeters beyond the baseline, but the electronic system did not make the call.

The 24-year-old Canadian returned the ball after the line call error – which was out – and asked for a replay, but the screen did not show the image, as Branstine had hit the ball and the electronic system only allows showing the last time the ball bounced.

It was a crucial moment in the match – where Branstine could have taken a clearer lead, but the system's error ended up giving Sakkari a 30-30 tie, after the local hit the ball out. The game resumed, and Branstine went up 40-30, but Sakkari won the next three points consecutively, closing out the victory with a break marked by the electronic error.

The situation also caught attention on social media, where a user shared a post with a video of the moment. "Video review needs to be better. This is a joke. Branstine lost such a crucial point. Sakkari got away with big point here," posted the user, who received a response from Branstine. She reposted the video on her own X account and added her comment: "They didn’t let me replay this clear mistake by the electronic line call because I played the shot after…BRUH obviously I tried to play the shot the damn thing didn’t call the ball out what’s a girl supposed to do."

Branstine was ultimately eliminated, and Sakkari secured a victory that will pit her against 3rd seed Jessica Pegula in the second round.

Sakkari and Branstine starred in one of the matches that closed Monday's play at the Canadian Open, taking their spot on Center Court in a two-hour and 23-minute battle. The former world No. 3 had an impressive first set from the service line, winning 74% of service points and converting 2/3 break opportunities to take a 6-2 lead.

The Greek was close to getting a break at the start of the second set, but Branstine managed to get through the complicated moment. In a set that was much closer than the previous one, Sakkari faltered in the final minutes, and Branstine ended up sending everything to a third set.

This time, Sakkari started with a 3-0 lead, after getting a break early on, but Branstine continued to fight and managed to recover the break midway through the set. Branstine was serving at 5-6 with the possibility of taking everything to a tie-break to decide the match, but the tension of the moment ended up playing in Sakkari's favor, who took her first opportunity and secured the 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 victory.

Despite the painful defeat, Branstine showed her class by focusing on the positive aspects of making her first appearance in a WTA 1000 tournament, after receiving a wildcard from the organization. "Win or lose, what an incredible experience tonight here in Montreal. I can’t wait to be back. So much to build on & I’m excited to keep improving every day! Thank you everyone for the kindest messages and support. It goes much further than you know❤️🇨🇦 we’re in this together!"

Branstine had already made headlines a few weeks prior at Wimbledon, when she successfully qualified by defeating Loïs Boisson – a Roland Garros semifinalist in the same month – and former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu. Branstine is indeed a friend of Andreescu, and they teamed up in junior doubles, winning Australian Open and French Open junior titles together. In the main draw, she was defeated by the world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.