Protesters halted play at the US Open women’s semi-final on Thursday with American Coco Gauff leading Czech Karolina Muchova.
With Gauff up a set and holding serve to open the second, a disturbance erupted in the upper bowl of Arthur Ashe Stadium and shouting began, disrupting play. Photographs of the scene showed three protesters wearing shirts with the slogan, “End Fossil Fuels”.
As players looked into the stands, security flooded into the section around the disturbance. Television showed more than a dozen law enforcement officers in the section.
Players left the court and waited over 49 minutes for play to resume.
Just Stop Oil protesters interrupted play at Wimbledon in July, releasing orange ticker-tape mixed with jigsaw puzzle pieces during matches.
Gauff* 6-4, 7-5 Muchova
Muchova starts the game with a double fault. The partisan crowd cheer her error unkindly.
Muchova backhand pass down the line, Gauff is there and should make the forehand volley but nets, 15-15. Tried to be too precise with that. Huge forehand into the corner from Gauff and Muchova can’t get the ball back in play, 15-30.
Muchova attacks Gauff’s forehand then aims for the backhand and misses. Two more match points for Gauff.
Oh my goodness. Outrageous 85mph running forehand down the line winner from Muchova to save the first match point.
Gauff gets a short ball after a miscue from Muchova but she suffers a mis-hit of her own and the ball flies wide to her disappointment.
Muchova backhand into the net after Gauff digs deep and stays in the rally, fourth match point. Muchova goes at Gauff’s forehand and extracts another error to stay alive in this game.
Muchova backhand into the tramlines, match point No 5. Big first serve down the T and Muchova finishes with a drive forehand winner. On we go…
Longest rally of the match, FORTY SHOTS. Both players takes huge strikes but Gauff hits the winner to earn a sixth match point.
Muchova backhand long GAME SET MATCH GAUFF!!!
2:46AM
Gauff 6-4, 6-5 Muchova*
Muchova misses a forehand volley which she had to make and would have put her 30-15. She is in attack mode right now.
But Gauff holds to 15 and is a game away from the final again.
2:43AM
Gauff* 6-4, 5-5 Muchova
Brilliant stretch volley by Muchova, 15-0. Backhand from Gauff flies long, 30-0. Point of the match so far. The crowd rises to their feet. Gauff lobs Muchova. Muchova lobs Gauff, then comes in for a volley but Gauff makes a running forehand pass, 30-15.
Muchova hangs onto serve after Gauff’s forehand is wide. Both players playing some of their best tennis at the moment.
Gauff 6-4, 5-4 Muchova*
Two errors from Muchova to start the game put her on the brink of defeat.
Bad double fault from Gauff, 30-15. The crowd rises to support her. Shot of the match for Muchova as she hammers a forehand winner down the line, 30-30.
Match point Gauff after an audacious drop shot winner. Muchova keeps herself in the match with a volley winner, deuce.
Muchova attacks the Gauff forehand and gets her reward as it breaks down again, break point. Nervy point from both players but Muchova cracks first when she slices a backhand into the net.
Gauff comes forward but Muchova reads it and drills a backhand pass low and Gauff’s volley goes long, second break point.
Wild Gauff forehand goes long and Muchova breaks back to keep her dreams alive.
2:30AM
Gauff* 6-4, 5-3 Muchova
A backhand into the net from Muchova on the opening point. Muchova has an easy overhead smash but puts the ball in the tramlines, 15-30. Is this where Gauff makes her move?
Muchova goes at Gauff’s forehand and manages to extract the error after a cagey rally, 30-30. Big point coming up…
Longest rally of the match, 21 shots and it’s Gauff who blinks first after pushing a backhand long, 40-30. Muchova double fault, deuce. That was very tight from the Czech.
Muchova serves and volley but doesn’t do enough with her drop and Gauff passes her with a forehand winner, break point.
Muchova backhand into the net and Gauff breaks. She will serve for a place in the final next.
2:23AM
Gauff 6-4, 3-2 Muchova*
As soon as Gauff gets Muchova out of court, the errors come from the Czech. More power in Gauff’s shots at the moment too.
A swinging wide ace from Gauff to hold and move her just two games from the final. Will she make her move in the next game?
2:19AM
Gauff* 6-4, 3-3 Muchova
Muchova eases to 40-0 as she swings freely and with confidence. But once again Gauff pegs her back to 40-30 and refuses to let the Czech hold easily.
But just like in Muchova’s previous service game, Gauff makes a forehand return error to end the game.
Not much to split these two at this stage of the match.
2:14AM
Gauff 6-4, 3-2 Muchova*
Muchova has definitely come back from the break with the tactic of going at Gauff’s forehand at every opportunity.
First double fault from Gauff makes it 30-30. Big point coming up. Gauff finds her first serve, gets the short ball and finishes with a forehand winner.
And she survives that little scare when Muchova’s forehand flies wide.
2:10AM
Gauff* 6-4, 2-2 Muchova
Break point chance for Gauff after Muchova nets a backhand.
Great rally. The players go toe-to-toe, Gauff striking her forehand confidently and she approaches the net behind, hits a good volley but Muchova flights a lovely lob over her head to save break point.
And she holds when Gauff’s forehand return goes long.
2:04AM
Gauff 6-4, 2-1 Muchova*
Love hold for Gauff as she finishes the game with a backhand volley winner. Both players look pretty sharp considering what they just experienced.
2:00AM
Gauff* 6-4, 1-1 Muchova (*denotes next server)
After nearly 50 minutes since the last point, Muchova serves to get the match back under way. How will both players react after that very long delay? Who will it help most?
I’m seeing video footage of Muchova receiving treatment on her abdominal area during the break.
But she appears to be moving well as she gets to 40-0. Gauff keeps herself in the game with a backhand winner down the line, 40-30. But she nets a forehand and Muchova holds.
1:55AM
Latest update from Molly McElwee at the US Open
Throughout the 35 mins the man remained so passive. He had a crowd of 12 NYPD officers here, three of them kneeling in front of him and applying some sort of alcohol to unstick his glued feet from the concrete floor. Also had thousands of New Yorkers shouting abuse at him.
Questions do have to be asked: how did he manage to smuggle glue onto the grounds in the first place and how did it take so long for security to deal with him? The response was incredibly slow, as the protesters were chanting for at least two minutes before a security guard approached them. In the time it took him to get help, the man had glued himself to the ground.
Now Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova need to reset after such a lengthy break and distraction.
1:52AM
Players return to court
More than 45 minutes later Gauff and Muchova return to court and begin warming up.
