Australian Open match suspended as rowdy fans cause chaos and players abandon court | Tennis | Sport
There were bizarre scenes at the Australian Open on Wednesday night as Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina were forced to abandon the court their match was scheduled on.
No. 29 seed Auger-Aliassime took to Court 8 to face the Spaniard. They got just seven games into the match when play was suspended so they could move over to Court 7.
There was disruption coming from the neighbouring Court 6 – labelled the ‘party court’ because of its proximity to one of the bars – where fans became rowdy.
Auger-Aliassime and Davidovich Fokina came out on Wednesday evening for an exciting second-round clash. But they struggle to play through the interruption of nearby fans.
Over on the adjacent Court 6, spectators were becoming louder and louder as Frenchman Arthur Cazaux took on Scot Jacob Fearnley. The atmosphere was just like a Davis Cup tie, with passionate fans from France and Britain vocally supporting their men.
It quickly became too much for Auger-Aliassime and Davidovich Fokina, who were forced to compete through constant noise and disruption. The umpire and supervisors soon intervened and, after playing for 42 minutes, made the unusual decision to move the match.
The players convened at the net with the officials as they agreed to make the change. The Spaniard packed his bags and Auger-Aliassime retreated his bench to do the same.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the match is now suspended on this court. We move to Court 7 in just a few minutes,” the umpire announced as fans rushed out of the stands to move to the new venue.
They had already made their way into Court 7 by the time Auger-Aliassime and his opponent arrived. The players didn’t need a warm-up, going straight in with Davidovich Fokina serving at 3-4.
There had already been four breaks of serve by the time the match was suspended and moved – two for each player – and Davidovich Fokina continued the trend in their new home, breaking to lead 5-4.
But he couldn’t get the job done. The Canadian broke again to level the score at 5-5 and eventually forced a tiebreak, taking the rollercoaster first set 7-6(7).
Meanwhile, over on Court 6, the loud French supporters suffered disappointment as Cazaux crashed out in four sets. Fearnley silenced the noise to win 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-3, reaching the third round of a Major for the first time in his career.
It was no surprise Court 6 caused such a disruption. A new two-storey courtside bar overlooking the court was build ahead of the 2024 Australian Open and it divided option among players last year.
Another French player, Arthur Rinderknech, branded the court a “nightclub” and slammed fans’ behaviour after losing a five-hour marathon match. “Some stupid – I won’t even say the country – guys that were drunk were shouting at me every time I was missing my first serve, and I don’t think that’s really correct. Only in the fifth [set],” he told Fox Sports.
But tournament director Craig Tiley hit back, saying the courtside bar provided entertainment and was “very popular”. And the tournament clearly stands by the ‘party court’, bringing it back in 2025 despite the chaos it’s already caused for neighbouring courts.
