A former U.S. Open champion cried foul over a crying child during a tense matchup at the Cincinnati Open.
Emma Raducanu was facing off against Aryna Sabalenka, the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, on Monday when a wailing child in the stands became too much for British star.
Raducanu, who won the U.S. Open in 2021 at just 19 years old, was serving during the third set of the match while trailing 4-3 in games and in deuce.
As she went to begin her serving motion, she stopped, asked for time, and began talking to the umpire.
“It’s been, like, 10 minutes,” Raducanu said, referring to the amount of time the child had been crying.
“It’s a child,” the umpire replied. “Do you want me to kick the child out of the stadium?”
Raducanu shrugged as many fans can be heard shouting “yes,” to which she smiled and gestured to the crowd.
“I can call in, but we need to continue for the moment,” the umpire said.
Raducanu went on to hold serve in the game, but eventually fell to Sabalenka 7-6, (6-2), 4-6, 7-6, (7-5) in a down-to-the-wire thriller.
While asking for a child to be removed from the crowd could be seen as harsh, many fans on social media also backed Raducanu, mainly for one big reason: It was incredibly hot.
Temperate estimates in Cincinnati during the time of the match on Monday ranged from 31C to 35C, including humidity.
“Who takes a baby to a tennis match in 95 (degree Fahrenheit — 35C) heat with humidity!” one user on X asked.
Another user pointed out that tennis requires a high level of concentration and quiet from the crowd is expected.
“As soon as babies start wailing at an event that requires silence before and during points, they should be taking them indoors,” a user wrote on X.