Important call reaches referee during game

Tatjana Maria, the German tennis ace, loses to Coco Gauff at the US Open. An unexpected abandonment of the match during a rally marks the turning point.

New York – Huge excitement in Flushing Meadows: German tennis player Tatjana Maria was battling against American Coco Gauff for a place in the third round of the US Open in New York on the night of Wednesday to Thursday when suddenly a loud scream was heard. What followed was a small tennis drama for the 37-year-old mother of two daughters.

Out of nowhere: US Open match with German tennis ace suddenly interrupted

Tatjana Maria was in good form from the start against the number three seed Gauff, who is going into the US Open as defending champion (here live on TV and stream). The German repeatedly drove the American to despair with her unorthodox slice shots. When she had set point against Maria at 4:5 in the first round, the match was interrupted in the middle of the rally.

“Stop, stop, stop,” a loud male voice suddenly shouted in the background. The sender could not be identified, possibly a match official. Gauff had no choice but to stop the game. The two players and the spectators in Arthur Ashe Stadium were completely stunned and puzzled. What is happening here?

German tennis drama at US Open: Referee receives important call in the middle of the match

The chair umpire then received a call and was on the phone in the middle of the match. The explanation was to follow shortly afterwards. The umpire explained that the video review system had suffered a technical failure, but that everything was now working again. The rally had to be repeated.

Maria quickly lost the point after Gauff’s serve and thus also the first set. In the previously interrupted rally she had still been in good form and could possibly have equalized at 5:5.

US Open suddenly interrupted after system failure: tragic consequence for German tennis ace

The organizers obviously didn’t want to leave anything to chance and didn’t want to be blamed later if the decision had been close. There are no longer any linesmen at the US Open, and the tournament will rely entirely on video support. For Maria, this outside influence certainly had a bad aftertaste.

After losing the first set, she couldn’t get back on the court and lost the second set without a fight, 0:6. The German, who mostly played both forehand and backhand with backspin, had played so well before and Gauff was visibly unnerved. Maria was “really proud” to be able to play in front of her two daughters Charlotte (10) and Cecilia (3).

German number one Tatjana Maria still happy after bitter exit at US Open

“I’m very happy that I got the chance to play on this court,” said Maria, who is not yet thinking about ending her career: “I feel like I still have a lot in me. It’s not about age, but about how your body feels and whether you love what you do. And I love tennis and traveling with my family.” And one day the mother of two also wants to be on the court with her daughter Charlotte.

“It would be a dream to play against Charlotte one day.” “We definitely want to play doubles together on the tour,” she said. On the other hand, the German men’s number one Alexander Zverev made an important decision shortly before the US Open. (ck)