Extreme heat at Halle Open played spoilsport as the tournament was halted for a brief while during the Fabian Marozsan and Miomir Kecmanovic clash. A ball kid felt uneasy on the court and fainted on the ground as the soaring heat reached 77 degree fahrenheit. The match was understandably delayed, as the kid received prompt treatment.

The incident occurred during a critical stage of the round of 32 match on Court 2, with Kecmanovic was serving at 4-5 in the deciding third set. This is when the ball kid collapsed on the court, and play was stopped immediately. Medical personnel immediately arrived on site and provided proper care to the child before escorting them out of the court.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time a ball kid has suffered a mid-match collapse. Back during the Australian Open, when the mercury was off the charts, a ball girl fainted during the first-round match between Zeynep Sonmez and Ekaterina Alexandrova. Sonmez helped the girl to her feet, an act which made her popular with the crowd, before medical personnel came and took her away for treatment.

ATP has an airtight protocol for handling medical emergencies, under which the chair umpire has the authority to suspend the match until the person in need of medical care receives proper care and is removed from the court. If a ball kid goes out, the supervisor in charge immediately sends a reserve ball kid to take their place, ensuring the match’s smooth flow is not disrupted. The kid who is taken out is placed under further monitoring and, depending on their condition, is often moved off the roster for the rest of the tournament to ensure health and safety.

Such instances often see players show their sportsmanship by tending to the ball kid until medical personnel arrive. On this occasion, Marozsan immediately went up to check if the kid was ok after they collapsed. However, that did not hinder the Hungarian, who went on to win a tough three-set match.

Marozsan Makes a Tough Winning Start in Halle

Heading into the match, Marozsan was not having a great season, with an 11-15 win-loss record. He had semifinal runs in Auckland and Bucharest, but also had seven opening-round exits. Also, going up against Kecmanovic would have been a challenge for him, as the Serbian had beaten him in the first round of the French Open just a few weeks ago.

Marozsan had a clinical start to the first set, holding serve until he broke in the sixth game, and won the set 6-4. However, Kecmanovic replied in kind in the second set by getting an early service break, which proved to be decisive as he took the second set. Marozsan raised his serving in the third set, holding serve without facing a break point until 5-4.

Marozsan went for the kill in the tenth game, going 40-0 love. But this is where an intense to-and-fro began, as Kecmanovic saved seven match points and even had a game point to tie it at 5-5. However, the Hungarian kept his composure and finally clinched the victory on his eighth match point, getting his payback on the Serb for the Roland Garros defeat a few days ago.

Marozsan will either face Zizou Bergs or fifth-seeded Taylor Fritz in the next round.