Former world No.17 Reilly Opelka is through to the quarter-finals of the Dallas Open, but a decision to dock a point from him at a crucial stage after telling a fan to "get the f*** outta here" led to a furious rant.
Opelka, now No.120 after recently returning from multiple injury setbacks, dug himself out of a hole to claim a 4-6 7-5(5) 6-4 victory over Britain's Cameron Norrie at the ATP 500 event.
Serving for the match at 5-4 30-30 in the third set, things heated up when Opelka told a heckling fan to "get the f*** outta here", to which chair umpire Greg Allensworth dished out a point penalty.
However, the 211cm giant saved the break point and eventually served his way out of danger to progress.
"Greg Allensworth is the worst ref in the ATP... I really look forward to playing a tennis match where Greg Allensworth is not my referee," Opelka said after the match.
He then revealed what transpired during the on-court outburst between himself and the spectator in the stands, before further criticising Allensworth.
"He kept coughing and was hiding behind a pole. I’m like, 'Dude, I see you.' The guy got kicked out, and I got penalised. It makes no sense," the American explained.
"(Allensworth) got emotional, like we were arguing. He got very intense and frantic, couldn’t give me an answer. He didn’t tell that guy to shut up. He was doing it for like three points. He didn’t do a good job, so I had to tell him to get out of here. The guy was being quite rude.
"If you want to come here to be an asshole, then I’m gonna be one back. It shouldn’t be one-sided traffic. If you want to be disrespectful to me, I can’t just be a punching bag. And if the ref isn’t doing his job and then he penalises me, it’s not a good look. Almost changed the outcome of the match.
"(Allensworth) gets no penalty. If I lose that point, I lose that match, that’s a difference in my paycheck. He gets no repercussions. That was bush league.
The 27-year-old later added, "The guy shouldn’t have a job or should be sidelined for about four weeks, and you learn a thing or two. You can’t make those calls in ATP 500s.
"You gotta understand the situation. You can’t always play by the rulebook. It’s common sense."
Opelka reached the Brisbane International final last month where he defeated Novak Djokovic in straights en route to his runner-up finish, as he seeks to soar in the rankings once more.
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