158 mph?! Hawk-Eye throws cold water on Ben Shelton's apparent record serve at US Open
Tennis player Ben Shelton's serve was initially clocked at a record-breaking 158 mph during the US Open, but officials later corrected the figure to 144 mph. The error was attributed to a malfunction in the Hawk-Eye tracking system.
Why it matters
This illustrates the reliance on and occasional fallibility of high-tech officiating systems in professional sports.
Ben Shelton is known for his lightning-fast serve — just maybe not that fast.
During the third set of the 23-year-old's thrilling US Open semifinal victory over fellow American Frances Tiafoe, Shelton appeared to record a eyebrow-raising, 158 mile-per-hour serve, according to the measurement displayed in the stadium.
It was, certainly very fast: Tiafoe was barely able to get his racket on the potentially record-breaking serve, sending the return out of bounds as a result of the rapid speed.
However, 158 mph immediately felt a little bit too high, even for a serve that was clearly hit with a lot of power. That number would have broken several records, becoming the fastest serve ever officially recorded by the ATP.
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