Rio de Janeiro
Save the Network: Comesaña and a forced landing in its attempt to reach a volley in river
Muller surprises the Argentine with a delicate volley in left
February 23, 2025
A infarction point in the semifinals of the Open river presented by Claro ended with both players – and the ball – very close to the same side of the network.
With Francisco Comesaña serving Alexandre Muller with 4-4 and 30/0 in the second set, the Argentine made a passing shot to put his rival in trouble. Out of position, Muller tried a volley that went perfectly, falling just above the network and turning to the French side. Comesaña saw him coming and ran to the network before Muller made contact with the ball, but even with the advantage, he seemed to lose it with a desperate swipe.
In the depths of the rules book, it is read that a player is allowed to extend his hand above the network to play a ball in the rare case that it bounces towards the adversary side. Of course, the rules also establish that a player must grant the point if he touches the network while the ball is still at stake.
Although Comesaña was millimeters to touch the ball legally, his effort was in vain, since his impulse made him fall on the network. The Argentine was helped to get up by Müller and both shared a smile.
Source: https://www.atptour.com/es/news/comesana-muller-net-rio-de-janeiro-2025-sf
