Italian Open Rocked by Protests as Madison Keys Faces Bizarre Interruption With Play Suspended on Pietrangeli Court

The match between Madison Keys and Sorana Cirstea has been halted due to unexpected circumstances. The American managed to secure a lead by getting the first set in her name. While everyone was expecting another big win for Keys, the play had to be suspended due to a shocking interruption from the crowd.

During the second set in the round of 16 match where Madison Keys possessed the lead, a protestor found his way into the Pietrangeli arena. The protestor, who was determined to interrupt the play, didn’t waste any time in putting his hi-vis jacket on before anyone from the security team could get their hands on him.

While everyone stood wondering what exactly his agenda was, he started making noises and throwing confetti on the court while the rest stood cemented in the stands. The authorities decided to take rapid action and therefore escorted both the players back into their locker rooms. As an attempt to restart the match from the point where it was interrupted, the team tried getting the confetti out of the court.

Despite using different measures to pick it out, the team wasn’t really able to get the court clean as the little pieces were buried under the clay, making it hard for anyone to get them out easily.

While the reason for the protest isn’t yet known to the fans or anyone from the media, it surely had a negative impact on the schedule and everyone who witnessed the incident. With the showdown being marked as suspended as of now, it still remains to be seen when and how will both of them reach a conclusion.

Simultaneous incident stops doubles match in Rome

Where on one side the fans experienced a halt in the showdown between Madison Keys and Sorana Cirstea, different protestors decided to make their way into the courts of a doubles match. At nearly the same time, two more folks did the same thing during Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Santiago Gonzalez’s doubles match with Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic.

The authorities tried getting the disrupted scene under control and somehow managed to make the protestors sit in front of the net before being taken away. Going through a similar fate as that of the WTA singles match, the game had to be halted in order to ease down the situation and has not yet started. As both the competitions haven’t reached a conclusion yet, it still remains to be seen what and when the authorities decide to do.