Watch: Was Christian Alshon Hooked on Match Point in Vietnam?

A controversial line call in a round of 16 men's singles matchup sends top-rated Alshon packing.

Hooks happen in professional pickleball. Some are egregious and intentional, others more innocent and inconsequential.

For the most part, bad line calls during the course of professional play come down to some coalescence of human error and hubris – either you thought the ball was out when it was really in, or you know it's in, but it's close enough so you're going to call it out and plead innocence.

Maybe, in the heat of competition, it's subconsciously some combination of the two.

For the most part, everyone (including the players in question) can watch this scene play out, cry fair or foul, and move on with their lives.

What just happened in Hanoi, Vietnam, seems to be hitting more of a nerve.

Christian Alshon vs. Hoang Nam Ly

In a round of 16 men's singles matchup at the PPA MB Hanoi Cup, underway now at the My Dinh Indoor Athletics Arena, Christian Alshon found himself facing a tough competitor in Hoang Nam Ly.

The match went to three games, with a curious scoreline bookended by two intense games and an Alshon pickle in the middle.

Ly won the first game. Alshon lost the match in three games, with the final point now under intense scrutiny.

Ly was serving for match up 11-10 in the third game. Alshon hit a return that sailed close to the baseline. Ly called it out and began to celebrate what's certainly a milestone victory.

Alshon protested the call. But there were no challenges available on their court. So that was it.

Game and match goes to Ly.

Here's a video, courtesy of Reddit, of the final point.

Reaction Online Has Been Swift and Visceral

This call, more than many contested line calls in recent PPA memory, is causing quite a stir online.

Many say it was clearly in, some contend it sailed long.

What Happens Now?

To be clear, we're not saying this was an intentional hook. We don't know if it was or it wasn't.

To our fairly trained eye, judging from the videos and angles we've seen, Alshon's return appears to land well in bounds.

Like, not particularly close, even. It's also worth noting that this was a return of serve – not a speed-up or counter or overhead, which would be traveling at significantly higher rates of speed. Alshon's shot, by comparison, was moving fairly slowly.

To give him benefit of the doubt, maybe Ly just didn't see it? Or genuinely thought it was just long? Or blinked at the wrong time and missed it entirely?

Whatever the case, the match is over. And no post-play video analysis is going to change that at this point.