Round two: A. Dolgopolov d M. Ebden 7-6, 6-3, 6-4
The umpire isn't always right. Not when they say oops and change their decision meaning they have been both right and wrong. Matthew Ebden thought the umpire was wrong then right when she changed her mind. Alexandr Dolgopolov thought the opposite.
But that is academic for the umpire is actually always right, even when they admit they got it wrong. The chair umpire, Briton Alison Hughes, on Thursday night quickly tried to correct herself and admit she was wrong with a call when Dolgopolov lost his shoe and then the point.
The Grand Slam Supervisor Soeren Friemel of Germany was summoned and agreed with Hughes that she had been wrong at first and right to over-rule herself.
It was decisions on the run or on the runner as it turns out.
Here's what happened with the controversy that punctuated the match that Ebden eventually lost in straight sets.
The Australian was serving at 1-1 in the second set. Dolgopolov kicked off to run to the net to chase down a ball when his shoe came off. He still reached the ball and hit a gentle return which Ebden sent back past him to win the point.
Hughes called a let. Replay the point. Ebden protested arguing that the loose shoe was an obstruction of play and he should get the point.
Ordinarily arguing with the umpire is a fruitless exercise but Hughes quickly realised her error and overturned her own decision.
She called out to Dolgopolov: "Alexandr I was wrong. I was too quick to call it a let. It's his point. You hindered yourself," she said.
Dolgopolov was putting his runaway runner back on and was in disbelief.
"This is a joke," he said arguing that the shoe coming off was no different to a ball coming out of a player's pocket - it's called a let and the point replayed.
Friemel appeared on court and at length asserted that Hughes was right the second time when she changed her decision.
"I don't know why she called a let, it's obstruction of play in my opinion," Ebden said afterwards.
"You can't do that, if you obstruct play like that you lose the point. Bad luck. It's not like a ball falling out of your pocket that is an accident.
"She called let and I said 'what do you mean let, it's obstruction of play', and she said 'actually you are right I shouldn't have called let'. The Match Referee called the same thing. (Dolgopolov) didn't like it and tried to get the point replayed but you can't just leave your shoe behind and get the point played again can you?"
The moment was the most contentious if not the most pivotal in a match where Ebden did little wrong but not as much right as Dolgopolov.
The game was closer than the score line suggested. Ebden should have taken the first set after he broke Dolgopolov's serve and only had to hold serve to win the set. He then lost 11 points in a row - his own service game to love and all of the tie break points.
"I didn't play an horrendous game but I played and average game and he played really good, he hit lots of lines I missed a couple of shots, his level was really good," Ebden said.
The Australian has had a good run in he summer despite again being eliminated in the second round - he has not made it past the second round in a Grand Slam - admitting it was frustrating that he kept coming up against players like Dolgopolov who have been on the fringe of the top ten.
He hopes to yet be called up for the Davis Cup team.
