HALLE, Germany — During a thrilling match at the Halle grass-court tournament on Wednesday, Alexander Zverev along with an umpire sprang into action after a spectator was injured by a falling advertising board.
The board plummeted from the upper stadium tier, striking a female spectator in the lower tier. Tournament officials reported that Zverev and umpire Renaud Lichtenstein quickly arrived with ice to provide immediate assistance.
“In our tournament’s 32-year history, this is an unprecedented event. We are truly sorry for what occurred,” remarked tournament director Ralf Weber, who subsequently offered the injured spectator a complimentary pass for next year’s event, according to German news agency dpa.
She was transported to a hospital for precautionary measures, but thankfully, her injuries did not seem severe, dpa reported.
Despite the incident, Zverev powered through to secure a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over American Marcos Giron in the tournament’s opening round, serving as a warm-up for Wimbledon. This win reflects Zverev’s impressive form on grass, following his runner-up finish in Stuttgart last week.
In other matches on Wednesday at Halle, third-seeded Daniil Medvedev triumphed over Quentin Halys with a score of 6-2, 7-5, while eighth-seeded Karen Khachanov defeated Zizou Bergs 7-5, 6-3 in their first-round encounters.
