Jack Draper’s match against Karen Khachanov in the Vienna Open final was briefly disrupted by a rowdy fan shouting abuse from the stands. The unsavoury incident occurred near the end of the first set, with the chair umpire being forced to step in and calm things down.
Khachanov was preparing to serve when the fan shouted something which was unclear, but it immediately caught his attention. The 28-year-old was visibly riled up and marched over to the crowd as the rest of the fans in attendance broke into a chorus of boos.
The chair umpire pleaded with Khachanov to keep his composure and insisted the match would not resume until the culprit had been identified and thrown out of the arena.
He said: “Karen, Karen, Karen! Sit down. We are going to take him out. Please sit down here. We don’t play while this guy is here, just sit down. We are going to take him out. Then you continue to play.”
Khachanov continued to remonstrate with the unruly fan, throwing his arms around in frustration before eventually turning his back and walking away. Draper, meanwhile, stayed on the other side of the court as he patiently waited for play to resume.
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