Part of tennis stadium collapses during Alex Zverev match leaving fan injured
A fan was hit by an advertising panel that fell from an upper tier during a match at the Halle Open in Germany with the woman having to go to hospital after the incident
A fan was taken to hospital after a stadium advertising panel collapsed and landed on her during a match at the Halle Open in Germany with home favourite Alexander Zverev in action.
The 28-year-old was playing American Marcos Giron and it was during one of his services games that a loud bang was heard, resulting in a huge scream from the crowd. A advertising panel had fallen from the upper tier and dropped onto a spectator in the lower tier.
Zverev and umpire Renaud Lichtenstein went into the stands to offer an ice pack after a 62-year-old woman had been hit, but she ultimately had to go to hospital. She did not sustain any major injuries.
Tournament director Ralf Weber said: "Something like this has never happened in our 32-year tournament history. We deeply regret the incident." He visited the spectator in hospital and offered her a complimentary season ticket for next year's event following the incident.
Event managers Dr Udo Kleine and Uwe Greipel-Dominik offered a theory on how the unfortunate incident may have occurred. A joint statement said: "We suspect that the drumming against the cushions caused screws to come loose. This should not happen, and we apologise. We will also check all other cushions and their fastenings immediately after the Zverev match. The safety of our spectators is our top priority."
Following a safety check the contest was able to continue and Zverev, the world No 3, won in dominant fashion as he knocked off his American opponent 6-2 6-1 with his Wimbledon preparation going well. He will take on Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the round of 16.
The German continues his hunt for a first Grand Slam title following a number of near misses. He's now lost in three finals, the most recent of which coming at this year's Australian Open. Earlier this month he was beaten in the quarter-finals of the French Open.
Wimbledon has by far been he's least successful tournament to date. Last year he was beaten by Taylor Fritz in the fourth round despite leading by two sets. Last week Zverev reached the final of the ATP 250 event in Stuttgart, only to lose to rival Fritz once again.
In his runner-up speech on court, a spiky Zverev joked: "Last but not least, Taylor, I'm f***ing tired of you. I don't wanna see you again over the next two to three years.
"You are one of the best players in the world on this surface and you were much better than me today, so congrats to the whole team and I'm sure you are going to do incredible on the next two tournaments on grass, so well done."
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