Blake loses to Gonzo in controversial Bejing semifinal match

A tight three set match with a controversial ending

Blake took the first set with a convincing break, 6-4. In the second set, he had chances to close it out but Gonzo went for broke on a couple points that put him up a break, and he proceeded to close it out at 7-5. In the third set, they both played ridiculous power tennis (Blake and Gonzo are both known for their aggressive styles - aka bashing the crap out of the ball), and swapped breaks before Gonzo took it 11-9 (in the Olympics, the third set is played out (no tiebreaker), similar to the fifth set in a Grand Slam).

Would Blake have won if Gonzo had fessed up?

The controversy in the game came in the third set, with Blake up 9-8, and Gonzo serving. On the first point, Blake runs down a forehand, which he proceeds to rip cross court. Gonzo, reading the play, stumbles into the ball and manages to get it back, but Blake, known for his speed, is there, and proceeds to rifle a backhand right at Gonzo (earler in the match Gonzo had knocked a ball right at James and hit him in the shoulder). The backhand clips Gonzo's racket and flies out. However, the ref somehow misses it (must have had a butt itch or something), and Gonzo, in completely unsportsmanlike conduct, won't fess up to it!  James can't believe it, and has trouble shaking it off in the next game as he is broken at love. Gonzo goes up 40-love in the next game, now up 10-9, but James blisters off three "go for broke" backhand winners to bring it back to deuce.

What is the umpire's role in a situation like this?

As you see the despair on Blake's face, you realize that he's well aware of the fact that umpires never reverse their decisions, regardless of second thoughts they may have (or at least they shouldn't reverse their decisions, based on player input). At this point, the only thing that could have made the umpire reverse his decision would be for Gonzo to step up and fess up. So the question to ask is, should the umpire had consulted Fernando - in other words, asked him if the ball hit his racket? Not necessarily, because Gonzo could easily have denied (as he proceeds to do later in a vague sort of way) that the ball touched his racket. If you watched the match you'll notice that during the conversation James was having with the umpire, Gonzo was nowhere to be found.

No love lost between Blake and Gonzo

Unfortunately, at this point James realizes he has a chance again, and takes his foot off the gas. After a couple more deuce points Gonzo takes the match, but you can tell by the handshake that there's no love lost between these two.