U.S. Open: Climate radicals halt the semifinal match between Coco Gauff and Muchova

Police had to forcibly remove the activists, who were wearing t-shirts that read "End fossil fuels." The match was stopped for 50 minutes.

Radicales climáticos interrumpen el partido del US Open entre Coco Gauff y Karolina Muchova con gritos. — (Cordon Press)

Published by

Alejandro Baños

8 de septiembre, 2023

Topics:

US Open

Climate radicals made a scene again. During the semifinal match of the women's U.S. Open between American Cori "Coco" Gauff and Czech Karolina Muchova, activists wearing T-shirts with the slogan "End fossil fuels" caused a disruption of play. One of them even glued his bare feet to the ground to avoid being removed from Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Security officers and police managed to get them out of the stadium. Due to the protests, the match was stopped for approximately 50 minutes. Several spectators jeered the radicals.

Gauff: "I can't get too mad at it"

The event occurred in the second set, with Gauff well on her way to victory. Although it could have stopped her momentum, the American tennis player said she understood the reasons that led these radicals to protest:

I always speak about preaching about what you feel and what you believe in. It was done in a peaceful way, so I can’t get too mad at it. Obviously I don’t want it to happen when I’m winning up 6-4, 1-0, and I wanted the momentum to keep going. But hey, if that’s what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can’t really get upset at it.

Gauff, 19, will play the U.S. Open final on Saturday against Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka.