HARLE, Germany — Alexander Zverev and Umpia helped ice after being hit by the advertising committee where spectators fell during a match at the Halle Grass Court Tournament on Wednesday.
The committee fell from the top of the stadium into a lower crowd, striking a female audience, organisers added that Zverev and judge Renault Liktenstein rushed over ice to treat her.
Organizers said the audience was able to leave the venue themselves, carrying an ice pack that was provided by Zverev around their necks. She was later taken to the hospital as a precaution, they added.
“This never happened in the 32-year history of the tournament. I deeply regret the incident,” said tournament director Ralph Weber.
The tournament said Weber met with spectators at the event’s medical center and gave her a free pass for next year’s tournament.
A statement from two event managers Udo Kleine und Uwe Greipel-Dominik on the tournament website suggests that the screws holding the board may have loosened because they “dram against the board.”
They added that the nearby board was checked before the match continued and plans were in place to check all other boards in the court.
It didn’t stop Zverev from winning 6-1, 6-1 American Marcos Giron in the first round of the tournament, the Wimbledon warm-up. After he finished runner-up at Stuttgart last week, he continued his strong form of grass on the German player.
Also in Hale on Wednesday, third seed Danil Medvedev scored 6-2, 7-5 for Quentin Harris, while eighth seed Karen Khachanov scored 7-5, 6-3 against Zizou Bergs in the first round. Alex Michaelsen beats Stefanos Zitzpas 7-6 (5), 7-5, then plays Medvedev.
