Tiafoe Wins First Set Against Raonic After Bizarre Net Incident

Just when fans thought an edge-of-your-seat 26-point first-set tie-break between Frances Tiafoe and Milos Raonic couldn’t get any more dramatic, the match went into near uncharted territory at the ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament in Toronto.

Tiafoe, who was leading 13/12, chased down a high netcord from behind the baseline to angle a low cross-court winner past Raonic, but his momentum carried him into the net before the ball bounced twice, leaving many – including Raonic – to believe that the Canadian would be awarded the point.

Chair umpire Fergus Murphy initially called the net touch but quickly corrected himself and called the point for Tiafoe because the ninth seed touched the net outside of the singles stick. Since Murphy's initial call and correction did not impact the winner, the shot stood and was not replayed as a let.

“Frances, wait, this is complicated…. This section of the net doesn’t count as a touch,” Murphy said as both players approached the chair. “Only after the singles post [does a touch count], Milos.”

Playing in what he has said might be his farewell appearance on home soil, Raonic has received treatment on his lower back during the match but claimed an early break in the third set to turn up the heat on Tiafoe.

A) strong officiating - authoritative without being dictatorial…. b) after all that, Milos won the match https://t.co/MBIPavlATN

— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) August 8, 2023

Section S in Chapter VII of the ATP Rulebook addresses miscellaneous officiating cases and decisions. It reads as follows:

Player Touches Net Outside of Singles Stick
Case: A player runs for a drop shot and returns it into the opponent’s court and then runs into net between net post and singles stick. What is the ruling?

Decision: Play continues. This part of the net is considered a permanent fixture.

Tournament Referee Tony Cho said: "Tiafoe touched the area between the singles stick and net post. This area is considered a permanent fixture, so not part of the net."