Jack Draper’s victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the round of 16 of the Cincinnati Masters ended in a long and heated debate with the officials.

The British men’s number one secured a place in the quarter-finals in controversial circumstances after Auger-Aliassime insisted that Draper’s winning shot was invalid.

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The Canadian had won the first set 7-5 before Draper won the second and third sets, winning both 6-4.

When Draper had a match point in the third set, the ball appeared to bounce off the frame of his racket and hit the ground before flying high and over the string and over the net.

After the shot, the crowd reacted with confusion and Draper also seemed stunned.

The referee then declared, “I rule that was a fair shot. Game, set and match, Draper.”

Auger-Aliassime immediately began to smile, apparently in disbelief at the referee’s decision.

Draper is then heard saying to his opponent: “I would do it again. If there was a replay, I would do it again, but I don’t know.”

But the Canadian was not convinced.

“Jack, you know,” he said before turning to the referee, “what you just did is horrific. Didn’t you see the ball hit the ground?”

“It bounced off the string and flew over?” the referee replied.

“No, no, no, on the floor,” said Auger-Aliassime.

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“Like he hit the ball?” asked the referee.

The Canadian became increasingly frustrated and said: “He threw the ball on the ground, what do you mean?”

“I didn’t see that,” replied the referee.

As the Canadian continued to criticize the referee’s decision, Draper interjected.

“Felix, can I say something for a minute? I looked at you.”

But his opponent had a different opinion.

“It doesn’t matter where you looked. You played enough to know where the ball was going when you hit it,” he said.

The crowd then chorused calls for a replay before the supervisor came down to discuss the controversy with the referee and players.

The supervisor agreed with the referee’s assessment that the ball had bounced off the frame and over the net.

Still frustrated, Auger-Aliassime told the referee: “If you are 100 percent sure that you are not walking away from here, and if you have not the slightest doubt that this was a clean volley winner, and if you tell me yes, I will shake (Draper’s) hand and the game is over.”

After the referee expressed his confidence, Draper and Auger-Aliassime embraced… albeit to boos from the dissatisfied crowd.

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“THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL MATCH BALL EVER!!!” wrote one account on X. “WHAT JUST HAPPENED…?”

Another fan wrote: “Draper knew it. Felix knew it. Anyone who has ever played tennis knows what this looks, feels and sounds like.”

“I saw Jack being insulted here. I don’t think it’s his fault. He immediately says he’s not sure and asks for the point to be replayed. The umpire can’t see that for sure either,” said a third. “If anyone is to blame, it’s the ATP for not enforcing video replays in tennis despite having the technology.”

In the next round, Draper will face Danish star Holger Rune.