French veteran Jeremy Chardy has accused a chair umpire of lying amid a heated exchange during his second-round match at the Australian Open.
Chardy argued with umpire Miriam Bley for several minutes following an incident in the first set of his encounter with Great Britain's 25th seed, Dan Evans.
Serving at 3-3 and facing a break point, Chardy was involved in a rally with Evans when a ball fell from his left pocket after he hit a forehand from the baseline.
Bley did not appear to immediately notice the ball drop from Chardy's pocket, as the rally continued before the 35-year-old found the net with a return.
It was then that Bley instructed "let" from her chair, a ruling that would mean the point should be replayed, however, the game was awarded to Evans.
Chardy protested to Bley, while also exchanging words with Evans, before the match official left her chair to speak to the Frenchman.
Following a heated conversation, Bley returned to her chair to call for a tournament supervisor, but Chardy was not finished and went to speak to her again.
He furiously told Bley she had made the "biggest mistake of the Australian Open".
"I have played for 20 years. I have never had one umpire bad like you. Not one," he said to Bley during their on-court exchange.
Chardy went further with his tirade.
"You looking at the birds? Are you looking at someone in the crowd?" Chardy asked Bley.
After arriving on court, the tournament supervisor spoke to both Bley and Chardy, who claimed the umpire was "lying" when she explained her version of events.
The supervisor ruled the point would not be replayed and the match would continue with Evans leading 4-3.
"So we play with someone who cannot umpire?" Chardy queried.
Evans, who was forced to watch on while much of the drama played out, eventually won the match 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.
Chardy continues rant
When he faced his media conference after the match, Chardy did not back down from what he said to Bley on court.
"It's a big mistake from the umpire," he said.
"I hit the forehand, and the ball dropped from my pocket. He hit the backhand and I hit another forehand before she realised the ball fall from my pocket. I still lose a point.
"So I was angry because she should stop straight away and she says she didn't even see the ball. I don't know what she's doing because she doesn't call in or out.
"She just called the score, and if she doesn't watch the point, I don't know why she's on the chair. That's it.
"So I was pissed, and I was even more pissed when she didn't tell me she made the mistake."
Chardy said Bley should face sanction.
"I think this is not fair because she can do mistake, but we can't do a mistake," he said.
"Has to be the same for both, no? If I break my racquet because I'm pissed, why I should have a sanction and not her? For me, it's not fair."
Evans said he did not know what to make of the incident.
"I don't really know who was in the right and who was in the wrong," he said.
"I didn't see it happen. It was just a pretty awkward situation."
Evans now moves on to play fifth-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev in the third round.
