Environmental Activists Disrupt U.S. Open Semifinal Match, Delaying Play for 50 Minutes
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Open semifinal match between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova was temporarily halted on Thursday night due to a disruption caused by environmental activists in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands. The interruption lasted for approximately 50 minutes, causing a delay in the game.
During the second set, with Gauff leading 6-4, 1-0, play was abruptly stopped as security guards and more than a half-dozen police officers confronted three protesters wearing shirts that read, “End Fossil Fuels”. While two activists were swiftly escorted out, it took longer to remove the protester who had glued his bare feet to the concrete floor.
Spectators were asked to move away to allow the police to clear a path, and the fans sitting near the section where the disruption occurred cheered as the officers approached. The protesters, one of them identified only as Ian, explained that their aim was to hold the U.S. Open accountable for its associations with large corporations contributing to global warming.
Ian emphasized that their actions were not intended to harm the athletes, stating, “We have nothing against the sport, but we are really trying to draw attention to an issue here that there will be no tennis left for anybody in the world to enjoy.”
During the delay, Gauff sat on her sideline bench, eating fruit from a plastic container, while Muchova was attended to by a trainer. Eventually, both players headed toward the locker room as the disruption persisted. Gauff could be seen chatting with members of her team while sitting on a treadmill with a towel draped over her lap.
This incident marks the latest in a string of protests at sporting events, especially in tennis, against the use of fossil fuels. In July, two matches at Wimbledon were interrupted when activists jumped out of the stands and scattered orange confetti on the grass of Court 18. Last month, at a U.S. Open tune-up tournament in Washington, approximately a dozen people were asked to leave after protesting against the use of fossil fuels.
Gauff, a 19-year-old American, and Muchova, a 27-year-old from the Czech Republic, were both competing in the U.S. Open semifinals at Flushing Meadows for the first time. Their match, which was the first of the evening, was halted due to the disruption. The winner of their match, along with the winner of the other women’s semifinal between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Madison Keys of the United States, will advance to the women’s singles championship on Saturday.
It remains to be seen whether this incident will prompt further action or discussion regarding the issue of fossil fuel consumption and its impact on the environment. The U.S. Open organizers have yet to release an official statement regarding the disruption.