The answer sheets were already in the quizmaster's hand when the question died. At 9.14pm on Sunday, "Who is the British women's No 1?" went from a free point to a disputed border.
The cause was in Wuhan. Sonay Kartal beat Jelena Ostapenko 7-6, 7-6 to reach the biggest final of her career and is set to take the British top spot. Lovely stuff. Moving on.
Nineteen teams had written the old answer. One team had a phone under the table, refreshing the rankings like a scout reading enemy radio traffic. They wrote Kartal, then crossed it out, then wrote it again in capitals. The room split down the middle. A man at the dartboard end demanded video review. Somebody's nan threatened to take her crisps home. For forty minutes the quizmaster stood behind the bar and refused to blink, like a goalkeeper staring down a penalty in the rain.
"I've seen grown men weep over the capital of Australia. This was worse," the quizmaster said. "This was Agincourt with scampi fries."
He awarded the point to both answers, which satisfied nobody and is now being studied as a peace treaty. Kartal, meanwhile, came from behind in both sets and saved six set points in only her second tour event back after six months out injured. She will appear in next Sunday's picture round. It is worth half a point.
