A maintenance worker walked onto the court during a key serve in an ATP Challenger match at the Ethias Province Open in Liege. The incident occurred as Sandro Kopp prepared to serve for the second set against Manas Dhamne.
The 26-year-old Austrian was in the 10th game of the second set on Court 2 when the worker, who had been on a nearby court, entered the playing area. The worker noticed the situation, shouted “Oh my God!” and left without further disruption. Kopp stepped off the court briefly before returning to resume play.
Dhamne, the 18-year-old Indian player, had won the opening set 7-6(4). He trailed 5-2 in the second set but recovered to force a tie-break. He won the match 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to advance to the quarterfinals.
The event added to a series of unusual interruptions reported on the Challenger Tour this year. Similar incidents have included a burst pipe at the Shymkent Challenger earlier in the season.
