The US Open women’s semi-final between American Coco Gauff and Czech Karolina Muchova, played this Thursday (7), was interrupted for around 45 minutes due to a protest.
Gauff was leading the game 6-4, 1-0 when a group of protesters began chanting slogans against the production and use of fossil fuels.
Two participants were identified by security and removed from Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main court of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center complex, in New York.
A third protester stuck his feet to the floor of the stands, and the police had to be called in to intervene, increasing the game’s stoppage time.
Television footage showed more than a dozen police officers involved in the action and one of the protesters being handcuffed.
Both players waited for around 15 on the court and chose to retreat to the locker rooms. Afterwards, they needed to warm up again to resume the duel, which ended with Gauff winning 6-4 and 7-5.
With the result, the 19-year-old American jewel reaches her second Grand Slam final, the first at the US Open. Last year, she was runner-up at Roland Garros.
Several sporting events have been targeted by environmentalists this year. In July, another Grand Slam match, between the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and the Japanese Sho Shimabukuro, for the first round of Wimbledon, was also interrupted by activists of an organization opposed to fossil fuels.
A man and a woman jumped the protective barrier and threw puzzle pieces and confetti “harmless for the environment”, according to the association in a statement. They were removed from the venue by security while the pitch was cleaned for the game to resume.
