Above video: Ash Barty reacts to becoming World #1
Channel 7 has been forced to come out in defence of their decision to air Nick Kyrgios' match against Jordan Thompson over world number one Ash Barty’s Wimbledon opener.
The network had been broadcasting Australians Kyrgios and Thompson battling it out for over two hours when Barty’s match against China’s Zheng Saisai began on a different court.
Instead of switching games, Channel 7 chose to broadcast the end of the men’s match - showing highlights of Barty’s match and baffling viewers.
Channel 7 has released a statement defending the decision to air the Kyrgios game as Barty’s game was “one-sided”
"Nick Kyrgios and Jordan Thompson were tied in the third set of a thrilling contest when Ash walked onto court," the statement said.
The massive audience ratings on 7TWO, which were comparable to a Wimbledon final, show how engaged Aussies were in the epic five-setter between Kyrgios and Thompson.
The justification was questioned by some online.
Channel 7 sports reporter Mark Beretta appeared on Sunrise this morning to further explain the broadcast, citing late set times as a deciding factor.
"Nick Kyrgios' match began at 11:00pm. So 1:00am is when Ash's match starts, but Nick Kyrgios and Jordan Thompson are slugging it out over five sets," he said.
"So people have been watching for two hours and at the climax of the match you're going to say, 'we're going to Ash now'?
Barty and Kyrigos have addressed the situation, with both expressing confusion.
"If people can watch my matches, great. If they can't, they can't. That's up to the broadcasters, not me," Barty said.
"I thought they would probably show both, but I don't really have much to say about that,” Kyrigos said.
