Fans leave French Open quarter-final match between Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini
Michel Euler, ČTK / AP
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Such a situation has not yet occurred at the French Open. Fans were admitted to the night’s match for the first time after the Paris curfew was lifted from 9 pm to 11 pm, and the match even began earlier than planned for organizers to try to ensure its timely completion.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan. The Serb did not give the Italian much chance in the first two sets and took the lead 6: 3 and 6: 2. But the third set was much more balanced. Both players kept their hands and the winner had to be decided only by a tiebreak, in which the Italian was more successful and thus forced the continuation of the match.
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At that moment, it was clear that the match would not end until 11 pm, and when the fans, who had been creating a great atmosphere so far, learned that they would have to leave, they began to protest. There was a loud hum from the auditorium. Five thousand fans were asked to leave Philipp-Chatrier’s court at 22:45 at the latest, but many did not do so and began to ridicule those who left, or chant “we paid, we will stay.”
???? OFFICIAL | @DjokerNole will be the rival of @Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of @RolandGarros
???????? Djokovic 6⃣ 6⃣ 6⃣ 7⃣
???????? Berrettini 3⃣ 2⃣ 7⃣ 5⃣#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/5VecSzLkvB– The Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) June 9, 2021
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In five minutes to eleven, both players packed up on the court and went inside the stadium. It took about twenty minutes before all the fans could be escorted out and the match could continue in complete silence.
At the end of the third set, Djokovic managed to take Berretti’s hand and win three matchballs during his set, while he also managed to transform the third. After sets 6: 3, 6: 2, 6: 7 and 7: 5, he advanced to the semifinals, in which he will face the defending champion Rafael Nadal.
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