The round of 16 match between Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul at the Australian Open was interrupted due to an incident in the stands. Chair umpire Marija Cicak asked the two players to pause in the first set tiebreak and then informed them that medical treatment was underway at Rod Laver Arena. After an interruption of around 15 minutes and a short warm-up phase, the match continued.
Television images showed an elderly woman who appeared stricken being led away from her seat. “Everything is fine, we will continue playing in a few minutes,” said Cicak before the game resumed.
Alcaraz had already experienced a similar situation in November. In the final of the ATP Finals in Turin, which he played against Jannik Sinner, the game was interrupted for around ten minutes due to a medical incident in the stands.
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