PROTESTORS chanting for the end of fossil fuels forced the US Open women’s semi-final between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova to be suspended.
Three people stood shouting in the Arthur Ashe Stadium upper tier before the second game of the second set.
With security unable to move the protestors, the players went off court and returned to the locker room.
Play was stopped at 20:05 local time in New York and delayed for more than 45 minutes before resuming.
American sixth seed Gauff was leading 6-4 1-0 when the incident happened.
While they waited, Czech 10th seed Muchova received some medical treatment and Gauff practised serves.
Eventually, the players were instructed to leave court as security staff and New York Police Department officers tried to resolve the situation.
Two of the protesters appeared to leave voluntarily, with the third reportedly attached to the seat.
All three were wearing T-shirts with the logo of the Extinction Rebellion protest group and bearing the slogan ‘End Fossil Fuels’.
“There is a temporary stoppage as we try to resolve an issue in the crowd,” an announcement told the crowd.
“We hope to start play shortly. Thank you for your patience.”– BBC Sport
