Friday, November 8, 2024

Play halted during Wimbledon quarter-final due to medical incident

Must read

Play was halted on No.1 Court at Wimbledon on Wednesday due to a medical emergency in the crowd.

Lorenzo Musetti dumped out Taylor Fritz in a five-set thriller to set up a semi-final showdown with Novak Djokovic.

There was a worrying moment with play halted for more than five minutes at the start of the second setCredit: BBC

American Fritz had claimed the first set before the umpire stopped proceedings due to a medical emergency in the crowd.

Both players sat down while medical staff dealt with the situation the BBC says involved a woman in the crowd.

The BBC added that the woman left the area on her feet and was led away by medics after more than five minutes of treatment.

The players then said they were able to continue the second set.

Musetti claimed the second and the third sets before Fritz sent it to a decider by winning the fourth.

The Italian would ultimately seal a 3-6 7-6-6-2 3-6 6-1 victory.

Fritz, who won the warm-up tournament in Eastbourne, found it difficult to cope with the variety in Musetti’s game in the windy conditions, with the Italian’s one-handed backhand causing him problems throughout.

“I think the more times I’m just putting myself in situations deep in slams, I’m going to get more comfortable,” said Fritz.

Musetti is headed to his first Grand Slam semi-finalCredit: Getty

“I am ready to win and go further. I think I played fine today. The most nervy I was honestly was in the first set, surprisingly.

“It was a tough match. He played well on some really big points. I didn’t serve as well as I probably needed to, or I guess as well as I have been.

“It was pretty windy today, so I felt like it was tough to kind of get that rhythm or timing. He played especially well in the fifth set.”

Watching on in the players’ box was Fritz’s girlfriend Morgan Riddle, who caused a stir after his last-16 win.

Fritz came from two sets down on Monday to beat Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-3.

Riddle’s post was widely shared on social media before being deletedCredit: Getty

Riddle appeared to take a swipe at Zverev both during and after the match in response to previous allegations of abuse being levelled at him.

Riddle, who has 17.2million likes on TikTok, used Instagram following the match and posted a video with a drink in hand alongside the caption: ‘When your man wins four the girls.’ The story has since been deleted from her account.

During the game, she posted a picture of the court to her story with the words: ‘Cheer loud ladies.’ That post has also been taken down.

Riddle was back on Instagram again on Tuesday this time to deny claims her posts were in relation to the Zverev’s abuse case.

She wrote: “Regarding my stories yesterday… I took them down as soon as I realised the misunderstanding and how blown out of proportion they had become by the media.

“They were not about anything that’s happened off the tennis court and there’s no bad blood between anyone.

“Super proud of T for the match yesterday, thank you to the crows for the support and looking forward to tomorrow.”

Novak Djokovic awaits Musetti for a place in the final, with the 24-time Grand Slam winner given a bye straight through to the semi-final.

He was due to face Alex De Minaur, but the Australian was forced to withdraw through injury.

Latest article