The US Open
Protest mars Gauff surge into US Open final
Coco Gauff reached her second Grand Slam final with a 6-4, 7-5 defeat of Karolina Muchova on Thursday in a US Open match interrupted for nearly 50 minutes by climate change protests in the stands.
A group of four protesters began shouting early in the second set with play stopped as security moved into the upper reaches of the 24,000-seat venue to control the situation.
Local media reported one of the group wearing an “End Fossil Fuels” T-shirt had glued his feet to the cement floor of the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands and was soon surrounded by up to 15 New York police.
After nearly 40 minutes he was seen being escorted out in handcuffs by the cops, who had managed to free his feet from the floor after leading away the other three.
Both Gauff and Muchova left the court puzzled at the 10-minute mark and returned to the locker room during the unusual distraction.
The interruption proved to be so long that a full warmup was required before play resumed with Gauff up a set and 1-0.
“We had three environmental protestors, two were removed quickly. Security found one of them had glued his bare feet to the cement floor,” Tournament Director Stacey Allaster said.
Photo: Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
An official tournament notice said: “Three of the four protesters were escorted out of the stadium without further incident.
“The fourth protester affixed their bare feet to the floor of the seating bowl. Due to the nature of this action, NYPD and medical personnel were needed in order to safely remove this individual from the stadium.
“The four protesters were taken into NYPD custody.”
After the resumption, Gauff went about her business of becoming the youngest finalist here since 1999, finally moving through on her sixth match point.
That opportunity was set up by a massive 40-shot rally, with the American teenager finally prevailing.
She repeated a win she took three week ago in the final at Cincinnati over her Czech opponent.
“I grew up watching this event,” the winner said. “it means a lot to be in the final.
“There’s a lot to celebrate but the job is not done yet. I hope you fans back me on Saturday (final).’
Gauff will bid for the trophy against either second seed Aryna Sabalenka or fellow American Madison Keys.
In the opening set, Gauff got away to a 5-1 lead but was pulled up short as Muchova won the next three games to pull to 4-5.
The US teenager escaped after 48 minutes to capture the set with a break-back before the protest incident unfolded.
Gauf is now 17-1 since going out in the first round at Wimbledon two months ago.
The peace talks came after a Friday interview boycott by most top players, who limited their pre-event interactions with media to 15 minutes while snubbing TV broadcasters.
Players are asking for a larger share of Grand Slam prize money, aiming for a rise from 15 to 22 per cent, a figure well below payouts in other spots.
French federation (FFT) officials promised a response to the demands in the immediate future. Confrontations with Wimbledon and the US Open are also likely to proceed during the Paris fortnight.
The Australian Open has already sided with the players when the issue first arose earlier this season.
The FFT “has committed to responding to the players’ proposals in the coming weeks,” the ruling body said.
Players are seeking a closer involvement in the big decisions of the sport along with increased health insurance and retirement benefits.
Sinner, with USD 56 million already in career prize money at age 24, might do well to follow the example of retired icon Roger Federer, who earned 130 million on court and much more off it,
The Swiss, reportedly now a tennis billionaire, often said he would not be needing his ATP pension but was happy to work on behalf of other players.
Emma Raducanu has gone back to the future with her latest choice of coach, choosing to re-group with the mentor who helped her to a US Open title five long years ago.
The Briton whose career has been a patchwork of changing coaches and near-constant injuries and illness since her 2021 big day in New York, revealed she has re-employed Andrew Richardson, her OG coach.
The pair split not long after then-teenaged Raducanu won the Open title from an unprecedented qualifying start.
She has since struggled and wil head to Roland Garros from next Sunday with only one clay tournament, a late wild-card entry into Strasbourg.
“Grateful to have reconnected with someone who has known me for over a decade now and looking forward to building together one iteration at a time,” she posted on social media.
The WTA no. 30 has played just 15 matches this season – none on clay – with her last one more than two months ago.
Main photo:- Emma Raducanu with her coach, Andrew Richardson at the 2021 US Open
Wimbledon will bow to the high-tech future by introducing limited electronic reviews of line calls on major courts at the Championships, the club revealed on Saturday.
The All England Club will allow the technology on showcourts including Centre Court, No. 1 and four others. During controversial moments, competitors will be allowed to ask the chair umpire for a review of the point in question.
The wizardry is coming late to Wimbledon having been used at the US Open since 2023 and later adapted by the Australian Open. Roland Garros relies on marks in its clay surface to determine line calls.
Under the rules, players can ask for the review any number of times, with electronic line-calling now in effect at the grass-court major for a second year after the 2025 elimination of human line judges.
Roland Garros 2026 Men’s Day 10
Roland Garros 2026 Women’s Day 10
Sabalenka plays lights-out to stop Osaka in Paris
-
Madrid Masters4 weeks agoSabalenka all in on possible RG player boycott
-
ATP4 weeks agoSinner the winner to push on with Rome entry
-
ATP4 weeks agoSinner all-in as Grand Slam boycott pressure grows
-
ATP3 weeks agoDarderi earns Italian upset with defeat of Zverev
-
Brisbane3 weeks agoSabalenka sensation as top seed toppled
-
Indian wells3 weeks agoSinner coasts to opening Rome win
-
ATP3 weeks agoSinner storms ahead as skies clear in Rome
-
ATP3 weeks agoAnother Italian victim for Sinner