HALLE, Germany — Alexander Zverev and an umpire helped out with ice after a spectator was struck by a falling promoting board throughout his match on the Halle grass-court event Wednesday.
The board fell from the higher tier of the stadium into the gang on the decrease tier and struck a feminine spectator, organizers mentioned, including that Zverev and umpire Renaud Lichtenstein rushed over with ice to deal with her.
Organizers mentioned the spectator was in a position to go away the venue by herself, holding an ice pack supplied by Zverev to her neck. She was later taken to a hospital as a precaution, they added.
“One thing like this has by no means occurred within the 32-year historical past of our event. We deeply remorse the incident,” event director Ralf Weber mentioned.
The event mentioned that Weber met with the spectator within the occasion’s medical middle and gave her a free cross for subsequent yr’s event.
A press release from two occasion managers, Udo Kleine und Uwe Greipel-Dominik, on the event web site advised that screws holding the board in place might need come free due to “drumming towards the boards.”
They added that close by boards have been checked earlier than the match continued and that plans have been in place to verify all different boards at that court docket.
It did not cease Zverev from racing to a 6-2, 6-1 win over American Marcos Giron within the first spherical of the event, a warmup for Wimbledon. It continued the German participant’s sturdy kind on grass after he was the runner-up in Stuttgart final week.
Additionally Wednesday at Halle, third-seeded Daniil Medvedev received 6-2, 7-5 over Quentin Halys and eighth-seeded Karen Khachanov received 7-5, 6-3 towards Zizou Bergs within the first spherical. Alex Michelsen beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (5), 7-5 and can play Medvedev subsequent.