"I want her out" - Bizarre scenes at Cincinnati Open as lady distracts Stefanos Tsitsipas by buzzing like a bee during his match vs Shelton
In a bizarre turn of events, Stefanos Tsitsipas asked the chair umpire to send a spectator out as she was imitating a bee to disturb him during his match against Ben Shelton at the 2023 Cincinnati Open.
Tsitsipas defeated Shelton 7-6(3), 7-6(2) to advance to the third round of the ATP 1000 tournament on Wednesday, August 16. The duo were not able to break each other's serve but Shelton's six double faults and a great first-serve performance by Tsitsipas proved to be the differentiator eventually.
However, Shelton was not Tsitsipas' only opponent on Wednesday, as the Greek also battled the crowd who were supporting the American. One of the spectators devised a strange method to add to Tsitsipas' trouble and started buzzing like a bee as he prepared to serve during the second set.
Initially, the 25-year-old tried to wave his hands in the air thinking there was actually a bee around. But he soon realized it was someone from the crowd making the sound, and he approached the chair umpire.
"There's a person imitating a bee behind me. It's a buzz right before I serve," he told the umpire.
Tsitsipas then walked up to the stands to find out who the culprit was. He was helped by another spectator in his quest to spot the offender — a lady sitting in the first row. The Greek then went back to the official with a wry smile on his face and said:
"It has never happened in my career. I know they're supporting the [other player]. It's the lady over there, I want her out. She needs to go... when I'm about to serve, all I hear is [bzzz]."
The lady eventually apologized to the World No. 4.
"Ben Shelton has free spirit in the way he approaches his game" - Stefanos Tsitsipas after defeating the American at Cincinnati Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas registered his first victory over Ben Shelton and an 11th at the Cincinnati Open on Wednesday. With nothing much to separate the players, Tsitsipas suggested his serve made the difference.
“Most of my service games, I felt like had that flow, that rhythm that I was seeking from the very beginning of the match. It sort of progressed more and more. I’m happy with how I handled the rallies that I got to play after serving," Tsitsipas said in his post-match press conference.
The reigning Los Cabos champion further praised Shelton for his style of play.
"He hits big, can serve big, so with these kinds of players you have to be 100 per cent there. There isn’t much of a gap that you can give them. He’s still relatively young and he has that free spirit in the way he approaches his game,” said Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas will next play Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday, August 17.