During the semi-final between Coco Gauff and Sorana Cîrstea at Foro Italico, play was briefly interrupted after a spectator collapsed in the upper stands. With Gauff leading by a set and a break, it was the American who first noticed the situation. She quickly alerted chair umpire Marija Cicak, who immediately called for medical assistance over her walkie-talkie. “This is Marija from Center Court. It’s upper level on the right side, we need a doctor,” Cicak said, before stepping down from her chair and asking both players to move to the side of the court.

Play was halted for a few minutes while medical staff attended to the spectator. When it resumed, Gauff did not let the interruption derail her, closing out a 6-4, 6-3 victory to reach Saturday’s final.

The stadium was full, and the top level where the incident took place was very steep, making it hard for the medics to reach the person in the crowd promptly. It was described by Sky Sports commentator Naomi Cavaday, who was covering the match. “Seems like there’s a medical emergency in the crowd now. It was actually Gauff who spotted it in the crowd, a commotion up there. I think it’s right at the top as well. This is a very steep stadium; it just takes some time.” 

Top Stories

tennis

Italian Open Takes Huge Toll on Jannik Sinner As He Struggles With Fatigue in Bizarre Post-Match Scenes

15 hrs ago

tennis

Alexander Zverev Loses Cool on Social Media as He Accuses Tennis Channel of Favoritism

22 hrs ago

tennis

Maria Sharapova & John McEnroe Debate Over Which Female Tennis Star Deserves a Spot on Mount Rushmore

1 day ago

tennis

Rafael Nadal Rejects Growing Rumors About Career Move as Excitement Builds Around Two Major Projects

1 day ago

Tim Henman, sitting courtside, added: “The stadium is full at the top, so hopefully the person in question is okay, and they can get the medical attention as quickly as possible.”

Players took the opportunity to speak to their teams both during the break. Gauff was in the stands with the umpire, while Cirstea was talking to her coaches. Jamie Murray, the man on commentary duty, pointed out the implications the break had on the match. “It’s the unknown of, ‘How long are we going to be stopped for? When are we going to be playing again? Am I going to cool down? Am I going to lose my rhythm, my adrenaline, my momentum in the match?”

Play resumed after a few minutes, and the match’s momentum continued to swing wildly. Cirstea was immediately broken on the resumption, but Gauff could not consolidate, and the Romanian broke straight back. A third successive break followed, this time going Gauff’s way, giving her the chance to serve for a place in the final. She took it, closing out a straight set victory to advance to Saturday’s championship match, where she will be the runner-up from last year looking to go one better.

The opponent is yet to be decided. Whoever wins between Elina Svitolina and Iga Swiatek in the semifinals will face the world No. 4 in the finals.

Coco Gauff admits to a tough week but insists she is enjoying the journey

Gauff’s composure in alerting officials and then quickly getting back to the match was on trend throughout her Italian Open campaign. It hasn’t been a clean run. She lost the first set to Solana Sierra in the third round, recovered from a match-point blow by Iva Jovic in the round of sixteen, and required five match points to defeat Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals. Wednesday’s semifinal, despite its interruption, was the most straightforward result of her week, and she was candid about acknowledging the difficulty of the road to get there.

“I’ve been enjoying it. The first couple rounds were tough. Those are the matches you get through. I was one point away from being out of the tournament. Really grateful to be in the final. Each match I think I learned a little bit more from something from each match. I think it showed today,” Gauff said after the win. 

The Italian Open final will be her second consecutive appearance at the Foro Italico’s showpiece match. She was defeated by home favorite Jasmine Paolini last year. She will take on Iga Swiatek or Elina Svitolina this time and has already demonstrated over the past week of close, hard-fought contests that she can take it all the way.