A member of the Rod Laver Arena audience was ejected after a “disturbance” in the crowd during the women’s Australian Open final.
Aryna Sabalenka was leading 6-3 2-0 with Zheng Qinwen aiming to serve for her first game of the second set when the umpire stopped the match until it was dealt with.
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The “disturbance” was a member of the crowd brandishing a Palestinian flag and chanting loudly.
Huge boos rained down almost immediately with members of the crowd appearing to assist security in removing those making the noise.
Russian and Belarusian flags have been banned throughout this year’s tournament as players from those countries are playing under neutral banners due to their nations’ roles in the Ukrainian war.
Tennis Australia told news.com.au earlier in the tournament that flags of nations not represented by players at the Australian Open are also prohibited.
“Anyone carrying or displaying them will be asked to put them away or leave,” organisers told news.com.au.
“Anyone seeking to disrupt the event – or who is displaying material intended to disrupt, offend, vilify or that is political in nature – will be managed in line with the AO24 ticket terms and conditions and may be asked to put away the material, or leave.”
A man in a baseball cap wearing a white shirt with “Free Palestine” across the front of it attempted to interrupt the final.
He was seen yelling in the direction of the court as he was being led away by a number of security guards.
“I have to say that the umpire and the security have got there very quickly to contain it,” Sam Smith said in commentary.
“Play is being held up for just a moment. The staff at Rod Laver Arena have moved very fast. And the umpires have been used to this over the last couple of years.”
Fans were heard booing as well and Smith said: “Do not upset these Rod Laver tennis fans. They want to see this final.”
In the end it was a largely one-sided affair, with the dominant Sabalenka sealing the title for the second straight year in a 6-3 6-2 demolition.
The Belarusian didn’t drop a single set across an incredibly impressive fortnight.
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