The ATP Tour may be over, but Challenger events are still there to bring the excitement. Players are fighting to lift their rankings before the 2026 tennis season, grinding through year-end tournaments around the globe. In Islamabad, Nikita Bilozertsev and Zach Stephens met with the same goal in mind. But technological troubles added an unwanted layer of tension to the encounter.

On November 26, Ukraine’s Bilozertsev faced Britain’s Stephens in the round of 16 at the ATP Challenger in Islamabad, Pakistan. A curious glitch hit the scoreboard during their match, as reported by edgeAI on X.

At that point, Bilozertsev had already taken the first set 6-4, but the score on the broadcast still showed that the match was at 3-2 (advantage), making it confusing for viewers to keep up.

Eventually, Stephens then found his rhythm and battled hard to claim the second set 7-6. But just when the contest was heating up, Bilozertsev was forced to retire, sending the young Brit into his first Challenger quarterfinal.

But this wasn’t the only match that was affected.

Another match, between second seed Jay Clarke and Dinko Dinev, faced the same problem. Clarke, meanwhile, walked away the winner of his match against Dinev despite the hiccups.

Thankfully, the scoreboard error turned out to be temporary. It’s the first time Pakistan has hosted an ATP Challenger, so a few bumps along the way felt almost inevitable. Still, it was a small setback in what marked a big step forward for tennis in the region.

But with an increasing number of tennis tournaments like the Masters 1000s and three out of four Grand Slams using line-calling technology, errors are bound to happen. However, sometimes there are still instances of good old-fashioned human errors bringing matches to a halt too.

The other tennis matches affected by unexpected calls

What started as a routine first-round clash at the Athens Open earlier this month turned into something else entirely. On November 3, during Kamil Majchrzak’s battle with Miomir Kecmanovic, the umpire became the unexpected headline.

As journalist Jose Morgado reported on X, Kecmanovic, serving at 30-40, sent a backhand flying wide by nearly half a meter. Somehow, the chair umpire called deuce. The crowd froze. Neither player said a word. A few points later, Kecmanovic got broken anyway, leaving everyone wondering what just happened but laughing about it all the same.

Despite the odd interruption, the match carried on with plenty of twists. Majchrzak struck first, breaking in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead. Kecmanovic responded immediately to level at 4-4, then turned the tables in the 11th game to go up 6-5. Majchrzak refused to back down, forcing a tiebreak, but Kecmanovic steadied himself and sealed it 7-4. The umpire’s slip may not have gone viral, but it certainly added a comical moment to the match.

But sometimes errors don’t sit well with players. Just a few weeks earlier, the Austrian Open in Vienna delivered its own umpire drama with Daniil Medvedev. The 2021 US Open champion was locked in a tough battle with Corentin Moutet, who went on to shock him 7-6(3), 6-4. But the real fireworks came in the opening-set tiebreak when Medvedev’s patience, as usual, ran out.

After winning a grueling rally to go up 2-1, Medvedev paused briefly before his next serve. Chair umpire Fergus Murphy thought he’d lingered too long and hit him with a time violation. The call cost Medvedev two points, tying it up at 3-3. To nobody’s surprise, the Russian erupted. At the changeover, he launched into a sharp exchange with Murphy:

“How was I supposed to go from here to there? I didn’t even ask for the towel,” he snapped. “Maybe you can use little bit of your IQ; I was at the net. Maybe you can use your brain; I know the system calls everything, but you could use your brain.” Murphy calmly replied, “I do.” Medvedev shot back, “No, you don’t. I don’t know if you don’t want to try or if you can’t; I don’t know which of the two options is the right one. I have my opinion, but I won’t tell you.”

Seems like the mistakes aren’t just coming off the players’ rackets these days; the drama keeps following the officials, too. Next up, attention shifts to the Islamabad Open, where Zach Stephens is heading into the semifinals to face Jay Clarke. Will the scoreboard be an issue again? Share your thoughts in the comments below!