CENTRE COURT, THE ALL ENGLAND CLUB — Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova suggested her British opponent may have received preferential treatment as simmering tensions around Wimbledon ’s use of electronic line calling (ELC) instead of line judges boiled over Sunday, when the technology malfunctioned at a crucial point on Centre Court.

Wimbledon issued an apology following their failure of their new Electronic Line Calling (ELC) system amid the Women's Singles contest between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sonay Kartal. The controversy came to light after Pavlyuchenkova accused the German umpire of being 'scared' to make a decision against 'local' Sonay Kartal in the tournament.

Wimbledon officials have issued an apology following an extraordinary technology failure that saw the electronic line-calling system switched off during a crucial moment in the fourth-round match between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Britain's Sonay Kartal on Centre Court.

Sonay Kartal was knocked out of Wimbledon after her Russian rival claimed the British player got special treatment when the electronic line calling failed on Centre Court. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 34, recovered to knock the last British female out of the singles 7-6 6-4.