Channel 7 defends its decision to stick with Nick Kyrgios's match against Jordan Thompson rather than show the start of world number one Ash Barty's Wimbledon opener.
"Nick Kyrgios's match began at 11pm. So 1am is when Ash's match starts, but Nick Kyrgios and Jordan Thompson are slugging it out over five sets, they run long," 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'? "That's the difficult decision. So we showed the best of Ash that was happening, and we flipped between the two matches, until Nick was done, and that's how it unfolded. "And the nature of our arrangement with Wimbledon is that we can only show one match at any one time, so it was not an option to put it on two channels.
News Corp journalist Rob Greenwood called the decision"bizarre" while Scott Pryde of The Roar Sports said it was a"joke".
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Channel Seven under fire for missing the Barty partyIt was Ash Barty's debut match as women's world No. 1. Channel Seven opted to show viewers Nick Kyrgios, the men's world No. 43, instead.
Read more »
Ash Barty - The LowdownWhat is it - exactly - that makes the world No. 1 Ash Barty so special? | KonradMarshall
Read more »
Ashleigh Barty breezes through Wimbledon opener with straight sets winThe Australian has successfully negotiated her debut match as world No.1 to book her spot in the second round of Wimbledon.
Read more »
Barty breezes through Wimbledon openerAshleigh Barty has successfully negotiated her debut match as world No.1 with a straight-sets victory over China's Zheng Saisai to book her spot in the second round of Wimbledon. 9News
Read more »
Kyrgios wins wild epic, reignites Nadal feudFireworks as both Aussies fume at Wimbledon.
Read more »