The US Open women’s semi-final had to be interrupted for a long time. Reason? A curious protest.
Unimpressed by a long interruption due to protest by environmental activists, American tennis star Coco Gauff has reached the final of the US Open for the first time. The semi-final had to be stopped for almost 50 minutes because several people had disturbed the match with shouts and one of them had stuck his feet to the floor of the stands.
The 19-year-old Gauff won 6:4, 7:5 against Karolina Muchova from the Czech Republic. She will face Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s final after a performance surge saw her beat Madison Keys 0-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (10-5) to avoid an American final.
“I treated it like a rain break. We have so many breaks in tennis,” Gauff told ESPN of the forced break. He said it was only difficult because the length of the interruption could not be predicted. “The crazy thing is – I said this morning, “I bet there’s a climate change protest in the final.” I didn’t think it would be in the semi-final already.” In a high-class match towards the end, Gauff converted her sixth match point after more than two hours.
Taken away in handcuffs
At 6-4, 1-0 to Gauff, environmental activists shouted slogans in the upper tier of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Pictures showed them wearing T-shirts with the words “End Fossil Fuels” and the group Extinction Rebellion. “We don’t want to harm the athletes. We have nothing against the sport,” one of the activists told the AP news agency. From his point of view, the US Open has sponsorship deals with companies that contribute to global warming. They want to “draw attention to the problem that there will be no more tennis for anyone in the world to enjoy. “
First, three people were taken away, according to a statement from the organisers. “When security arrived, one person had their bare feet pinned to the ground,” tournament director Stacey Allaster told ESPN, explaining the lengthy disruption.
New York police and medical personnel were needed to remove the person from the stadium, it added. The man was taken away in handcuffs by police officers. All four people were in police custody, according to organisers.
Spectators chant: “Throw them out “
In the meantime, there had been an announcement in the stadium that “a problem in the spectator area” was being solved and that the game should be continued as quickly as possible. Gauff first practised a few serves, Muchova went for treatment. Both players then went into the catacombs of the largest tennis stadium in the world. Numerous spectators chanted in the direction of the protesters: “Kick them out”.
After almost 45 minutes, the players returned to the court to the cheers of the spectators and warmed up again. They resumed play at 8.55pm (local time) with just under 50 minutes to spare.
Already at 5:3 in the second set, Gauff earned her first match point. Muchova fended off a total of five chances to win the match, some of them spectacular, until the American was allowed to cheer. She formed a heart with her hands in the direction of the fans. “It was so loud at some points, I don’t know if my ears are okay,” Gauff joked. “That’s crazy. I watched the tournament growing up, so it means a lot to me. I hope you guys come back and support me on Saturday. “
Then it’s on against the slightly favoured Sabalenka. The Australian Open winner avoided her third US Open semi-final defeat in a row after the opening set clash after all. She will take over the top position in the world rankings from Poland’s Iga Swiatek for the first time next week.
