Queens, New York—— The U.S. Open semifinal between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova was delayed by 50 minutes Thursday night after environmental activists disrupted the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium . A protester glues his bare feet to a concrete floor.
A total of four demonstrators were escorted out of the stadium by U.S. Open security staff and a trespass notice was issued, according to police.
Gauff led 6-4, 1-0 when the second set was stopped early.
Security guards followed by six police officers walked over to confront the protesters, who were wearing shirts that read “End Fossil Fuels.” Within minutes, the two activists were escorted out, but it took longer to remove the man with his feet on the ground.
The NYPD and medical personnel were required to safely remove the injured’s bare feet from the floor and escort them from the stadium.
Spectators were asked to leave to clear the way for the police, while fans sitting near the area where the riots took place cheered the police.
One of the protesters, who identified himself as Ian, said they want the U.S. Open to be held accountable because its sponsors are big corporations whose policies are contributing to global warming.
“We don’t want to harm the players in any way. We’re not against the sport, but we do want to draw attention to the fact that there will no longer be tennis in the world for anyone to enjoy,” he said.
At halftime, Goff sat on the sideline bench for a while, eating fruit from a plastic container, then grabbed some tennis balls and hit a few practice serves. During the hiatus, a coach paid a brief visit to Muchova.
Both players then headed to the locker rooms as the delay continued. Goff sits on a treadmill with a towel draped over his lap, chatting with team members.
It is the latest in a string of recent protests linked to the use of fossil fuels at sporting events, notably tennis.
At Wimbledon in July, environmentalists jumped from the stands on Court 18 and dropped orange confetti on the grass, disrupting two matches.
At last month’s U.S. Open warm-up match in Washington, about a dozen people were asked to leave after chanting and displaying signs protesting the use of fossil fuels.
The 19-year-old American Goff and the 27-year-old Czech player Muchova are both participating in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows for the first time.
Their game was the first game of the night. The other women’s semi-final, between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Madison Keys of the United States, was scheduled to take on Muchova at Gauff. ) ends and starts.
Thursday’s two winners will battle it out for the women’s singles title at Ash on Saturday.
Also read | Smell of marijuana wafts across US Open courts, distracting players and spectators
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