Carlos Alcaraz’s Cincinnati Open quarter-final match against Andrey Rublev was halted after a medical emergency occurred in the stands, with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani rushing over
Carlos Alcaraz’s Cincinnati Open quarter-final match against Andrey Rublev was halted after an emergency in the stands.
The Spanish tennis ace, who had a bizarre exchange with another umpire over a water bottle in the previous round, held a 1-0 lead in the deciding set when chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani realised someone in the crowd was struggling, and raced over to bring them water and an umbrella. Cincinnati has been experiencing a brutal heatwave over the past week, leading to several disruptions and match delays.
World No. 28 Felix Auger-Aliassime warned fans to take precautions against the sun after his opponent, Arthur Rinderknech, collapsed on court and subsequently withdrew from their match. During a changeover in the third set of a match between Alcaraz and Rublev, the umpire called for medical assistance in the stands. He quickly left his chair to gather supplies and rushed to provide aid.
Sky Sports commentator and former ATP player Ryan Harrison speculated: “I think something happened in the crowd, someone might have had some [issues with] the heat.”
Umpire Lahyani was swift in his response. “Some water please. Get an ice towel as well, get an ice towel,” he instructed some ball boys before dashing over to the stands and handing over the items.
“Here’s some water.”
Lahyani then asked both Alcaraz and Rublev to remain patient while the spectator received attention.
“Mohamed Lahyani to the rescue. Brutal conditions here in Cincinnati all week, temperatures well into the 30s, incredibly humid as well, so it’s not just the players who are suffering, it’s the fans as well,” added co-commentator Adam Fielder.
“When incidents like this happen, you’re never quite sure how long the delay is going to be so Mohamed Lahyani just telling Carlos Alcaraz to have a little patience and bear with him. Mohamed is a bit out of breath after that sprint over there!”
Harrison replied: “I haven’t seen Mohamed move quite that well in a long time but we obviously hope the fan in the crowd is okay.
“It’s tough when you’re sitting there in the bleachers, I can tell you, after being in the coach’s box and also on the court, you feel that heat when you’re in the coach’s corner and you’re just sitting there and you’re just watching the match.
“Especially on that side of the court where there’s no shade and you can tell the sun is coming from the opposite side, that side is very exposed to the sun.”
Lahyani rushed over once more, this time carrying an umbrella, before heading back to the court and meeting with the tour supervisor. “Mohamed is putting out fires left, right and center here,” Fielder joked.
“I’m sure paramedics are out there just trying to deal with this incident in the crowd. I think maybe by the applause it looks as though the paramedics might be taking him or her out the court. For the players as well, they’ve just got to kind of stand and wait, and they lose a little bit of rhythm.”
The interruption lasted several more minutes, and there was another burst of applause, suggesting that the fan had been safely escorted from the court. The umpire called the players together and action swiftly resumed with Rublev serving.
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