A group of protesters advocating for the cessation of fossil fuels delayed play during the first US Open women’s semifinal on Thursday night.
American Coco Gauff led Czech player Karolina Muchova 6-4, 1-0 when several spectators stood up and began chanting. Asked to leave by security, they initially refused, leading the roughly 23,000-strong Arthur Ashe stadium crowd to shout “kick them out.”
Play was suspended and three out of the four protesters were escorted out of the stadium, according to a statement from the United States Tennis Association. Emergency responders had to intervene to safely remove the other individual who had affixed their bare feet to the floor. All of them were taken into custody by law enforcement, the USTA said.
The match resumed about 50 minutes after the interruption started.
The environmental group Extinction Rebellion claimed responsibility for the disruption, characterizing it as no more inconvenient than a rain delay. The group is calling for an end to the use of fossil fuels.
“Tennis-as-usual won’t be possible on a planet in which humanity fails to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius,” the group said in an emailed statement. “If activists don’t disrupt these games, the climate will.”
Gauff, 19, eventually conquered Muchova 6-4, 7-5, becoming the youngest American women’s player to make a US Open final since Serena Williams in 1999. In the second women’s semifinal, American Madison Keys takes on Australian Open champion and soon-to-be World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Player are facing the additional challenge of competing under a late summer heat wave. The National Weather Service has issued a warning for high heat and humidity in the New York City area through Friday evening.
Some players, including 2021 men’s singles champion Daniil Medvedev, have described conditions as “brutal” and questioned the wisdom of competing in the heat.
“We left everything out there,” Medvedev said after his quarterfinal win over compatriot Andrey Rublev. “I don’t think I had anything left but if the match would go on I would find something more and the only thing that is a little bit, let’s call it dangerous, is that the question is how far could we go?”
During the match, he was overheard on court saying a player is “going die, and they’re going to see.”
