ATP Finals match halted for 'medical emergency' as umpire takes action on court

The final round-robin match of this year's ATP Finals was temporarily halted due to a suspected medical emergency in the crowd, leaving Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime in suspense during their first set. The stakes were high as the victor would secure the last semi-final spot.

However, both Zverev and Auger-Aliassime were left scratching their heads when the umpire called for assistance, descended from his chair, and informed them that the match had been put on hold.

Chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein paused the game at the end of a changeover, just as Zverev was preparing to serve at 3-4, when spectators began shouting and whistling. Initially, the umpire requested silence, but the No.3 seed quickly realised there was a problem and gestured towards the stands.

Lichtenstein swiftly grabbed his walkie-talkie, calling for medical help in the crowd opposite his position. "Do we have a medical emergency here?" Laura Robson queried on Sky Sports commentary.

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Jonathan Overend responded: "A disturbance in the stands so this could be a bit of a delay." Both Zverev and Auger-Aliassime appeared puzzled about the issue, prompting Lichtenstein to step onto the court to discuss with both players.

"I'm afraid if they are right and they make some noise, I don't know," he informed them. It took a few moments for officials to reach the stands, leading Overend to question whether it was indeed a medical matter.

"No sign of any sort of medical presence at up in the top tier. I think it might have just been... I don't know what. Now there are some officials I can see coming into the stands," the commentator said.

The umpire stood with Auger-Aliassime, peering into the crowd as staff went to address the situation. He signalled for play to resume just moments later, informing Zverev: "It looks okay, Alexander. It looks like they took care of it."

The No. 3 seed managed to hold serve comfortably, but conditions quickly became challenging for both players. Auger-Aliassime was forced to save a break point as he edged ahead to lead 5-4.

He then earned three set points on Zverev's serve. The German rescued all three, but Auger-Aliassime persisted and secured the break at the fourth attempt to claim the opening set 6-4.

This isn't the first occasion a match has been interrupted at this week's ATP Finals. A group-stage clash between Lorenzo Musetti and Alex de Minaur was suspended for nearly nine minutes on Tuesday evening whilst medical staff attended to a spectator in the stands.