Bizarre scenes at US Open 2024 as fire alarm halts Day 8 play, sparks panic among players and fans
Bizarre scenes unfolded on Day 8 of the 2024 US Open when play abruptly halted after a fire alarm went off at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The disruption affected high-profile matches involving star players like Daniil Medvedev and Caroline Wozniacki.
The fourth-round singles contests at the 2024 US Open on September 2 were disrupted after a fire alarm sounded in the building housing the Hawkeye, the electronic line calling system. Television footage showed employees evacuating the building and officials on the court halting play due to the stoppage of Hawkeye.
The 2024 US Open does not have line judges on call and completely relies on Hawkeye for umpiring decisions. The tournament organizers later released a statement to give clarity on the incident that led to a six-minute halt in the play.
"Due to a fire alarm in the broadcast building, which also houses ELC Live operations, play was halted throughout the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as the building was evacuated. Following the determination that this was only an alarm, play was resumed. In total, play was halted for six minutes," the statement from tournament organizers read.
Daniil Medvedev was facing Nuno Borges at Arthur Ashe Stadium, leading the Portuguese 6-0, 6-1, 1-2 when play was suddenly stopped. Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki and Beatriz Haddad Maia were in the middle of the first set of their fourth-round contest when chair umpire Marijana Veljovic halted the match.
"This is a first," Wozniacki was heard saying during the disruption.
Daniil Medvedev unfazed by fire alarm disruption at US Open, sweeps aside Nuno Borges in 4R
Despite the brief halt in play on Day 8, Daniil Medvedev remained focused and defeated Nuno Borges, 6-0, 6-1, 6-3, to advance to his fifth US Open quarterfinal in eight appearances. Medvedev will next face either top seed Jannik Sinner or Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals
Medvedev's position among the favorites for the year's last Grand Slam was strengthened following the early exits of 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz and defending champion Novak Djokovic. Medvedev, the 2021 champion, has had a relatively smooth run at the 2024 US Open.
The fifth-seeded Russian, who began his campaign with a four-set victory over Dusan Lajovic, has since registered straight-set wins over Fabian Marozsan, Flavio Cobolli, and Nuno Borges.