A bizarre incident occurred during a second-round match at the ATP Challenger Ethias Province Open in Liege, Belgium, when a maintenance worker ran across the court while player Sandro Kopp was about to serve on set point. Kopp, 26, was serving for the second set against 18-year-old Manas Dhamne, who had won the first set 7-6(4). The interruption happened as Kopp was bouncing the ball before his serve.
Interruption on Set Point
Dhamne had saved three set points earlier in the game. As Kopp prepared to serve for the fourth set point, a maintenance worker who had been working on an adjacent court inexplicably wandered onto the court. Kopp spotted the worker before serving, paused, and exclaimed 'Oh my God!' before briefly walking off the court in the same direction as the worker. He soon returned to resume play.
According to reports, Kopp then lost the next three points in a row to lose the game, with his final shot going wildly off his racket. Despite the setback, Kopp rallied in the next game and had a break-point chance, but again lost three straight points, giving Dhamne the lead. Kopp held serve in the 12th game to force a tiebreaker, where he took a 5-2 lead before losing four straight points to give Dhamne a match point.
Controversial Ending
The match ended controversially when Kopp's return caught the net and landed on Dhamne's side. Dhamne replied with a deftly sliced shot that left Kopp sprinting across the court. The chair umpire adjudged that the ball had bounced twice before Kopp returned it, awarding the point to Dhamne. Kopp screamed 'No!' and raised his hands to his head in disbelief.
Kopp continued to protest, saying 'Are you kidding me?' and claiming the ball had backspin. After shaking hands with Dhamne, Kopp called the umpire a 'disgrace', saying 'How can you do that?' He asked spectators whether the ball bounced once or twice, but the umpire left the court after a brief conversation.
Aftermath and Reaction
The incident was captured on video and shared on social media by PINPOINTPICKS, showing the worker running through the court as Kopp was about to serve. Kopp, ranked world No. 293, was competing in the Challenger 500 tournament, which was held for the first time in Liege. The match ended with Dhamne advancing to the next round.
Kopp's reaction included multiple exclamations of 'no' while wandering the court with his hands on his head. He later expressed disbelief at the umpire's decision, calling it a 'disgrace'. The maintenance worker's intrusion was widely criticized as a bizarre and untimely interruption that may have affected the outcome of the match.
