Dominika Cibulkova, who was contentiously ousted from Wimbledon’s top 32 by Serena Williams, might have a chance to play for a little bit of revenge.
The Slovakian reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the third time on Monday in a controversial 6-4, 6-1 win over Hsieh Su-wei. Cibulkova and Williams are now slowly closing in on each other from opposite ends of the draw.
A botched call by a line judge and then another error by the umpire were both overturned during a crucial part of the match, angering Cibulkova and pitting her against the crowd. Cibulkova was awarded a set point after a Hawkeye challenge in the first set before it was taken away after the chair umpire decided he had errantly awarded her the point, instead of saying the point should be replayed.
Cibulkova insisted after the match that the call should’ve remained in her favor.
“I don’t want to talk about it because I would get really upset and angry about that, because it was ridiculous what happened there,” Cibulkova told reporters. “It never happened to me in my career that this would happen. Just a player is complaining. Sometimes I’m also complaining because I think it was a wrong call.
“But it never happened to me that the umpire changed the decision. It was really ridiculous for me.”
She will face 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals.
Cibulkova criticized the Wimbledon seeding committee’s decision to award Williams a spot in the rankings, though it typically considers factors other than WTA rankings.
Williams, who gave birth to her first baby in September, is ranked No. 183 and has won seven Wimbledon singles titles. She pulled out of the French Open in June because of pain in her right pectoral muscle. Williams cruised into the quarterfinals on Monday with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Evgeniya Rodina.
Cibulkova has seemingly found controversy at every turn.
In the second round, Johanna Konta complained that Cibulkova was slapping her thighs, saying it distracted her between serves. Cibulkova said she had done nothing wrong but stopped after Konta complained to the umpire.
