Indian Wells match halted for medical emergency as umpire makes announcement | Tennis | Sport

Clara Tauson’s third-round match in Indian Wells was briefly halted due to a medical emergency on Sunday. The No. 17 seed had an early break lead over Aussie qualifier Talia Gibson when both players were suddenly made to wait with Gibson serving at 1-3. Medics were called to the stands to assist a spectator who had been struggling in the heat on the Stadium 4 court.

Tauson was seen sitting on her bench waiting for the match to resume, while Gibson took the opportunity to speak with her team. The fan in question was escorted out of the stands, and the umpire informed the crowd that play could resume once they had safely left.

“We are going to be able to resume here. The person involved in that medical emergency seems to be okay. Which is good news, of course,” the commentator said as the spectator walked down the stairs to leave the court.

Tauson and Gibson returned to the baseline, and the umpire told the rest of the crowd that the person had “luckily” been able to leave. “We are able to resume,” he added.

World No. 110 Gibson wasn’t distracted by the delay and quickly held serve to close the gap with Tauson.

The heat in the Californian desert is no joke. Temperatures are expected to reach 30 degrees Celsius on Sunday, and the UV has been marked as ‘very high’. It’s unfortunately not the first time spectators have struggled in the brutal conditions.

On Saturday, Casper Ruud’s second-round clash with Alexander Shevchenko was halted in the third game as first-aiders were called to the stands. A court attendant brought water and ice over while waiting for assistance, and the rest of the crowd applauded when first aid finally arrived. Ruud went on to win in straight sets.

Following the earlier delay, Gibson settled into the match and managed to break as Tauson was serving for the set, levelling the score at 5-5. And she stole the first set in a tiebreak, winning it 7-6(2). But Tauson responde by taking the second 6-4.

The Australian world No. 110 has enjoyed success on the ITF circuit of late, winning a title in Brisbane last month. She’s since reached the semis and quarters of subsequent events in Brisbane and Belgalaru.

Tauson, meanwhile, reached the quarter-finals in both singles and doubles at the recent Dubai Tennis Championships. The Dane is hunting her first appearance in the round-of-16 in Indian Wells.