This season, as the Aztec Tennis Center installed digital panels on six courts, chair umpires tapped cellphone-style devices to change the scores. Spectators could see the numbers rising and falling as players moved toward victory or defeat.
In his final home match, Aztec Chikaya Sato scored a stunning 6-0, 6-0 victory over Nevada’s Delmas N’Tcha. For nearly half an hour, the score board flashed the remarkable image as other matches continued.
Some umpires told ATR they struggled with the technology but found it an improvement over placing a tennis ball in a numbered rack at the base of their chairs.
Said Bob Christianson, a veteran professional umpire, “It’s an important step.”
