- Amanda Anisimova is in fine form on grass this season and was keen to continue
- But a disruption in SW19 meant that her service game was brought to a halt
- The Russian-American eventually swept aside Dalma Galfi to reach the last-16
World No13 Amanda Anisimova fumed after her serving game was interrupted by the errant pop of a champagne cork on No3 Court on Friday afternoon.
The number-13 seed is targeting a deep run at Wimbledon after reaching the final of Queen’s inaugural women’s WTA 500 event last month.
While Anisimova was felled by crafty history-maker Tatjana Maria, she arrives in SW19 in a rich vein of form, and swept away Yulia Putintseva and Renata Zarazua in straight sets in her opening two matches to set up a meeting with Dalma Galfi.
After claiming the first set 6-3, Anisimova had momentum wrenched away from her by her Hungarian opponent, with Galfi swiping the second set 7-5.
Attempting to regain control of the tie in the early stages of the third, Anisimova began won the opening point of her first service game.
But as she was preparing to double her lead, Anisimova’s action was interrupted by the audible pop of a champagne cork.
Anisimova was rightly furious at the interruption, and seethed: ‘Why did you have to open that right now?’
After Anisimova claimed the ensuing point to put herself 30-love up, the chair umpire took a moment to remind the crowd of the importance of silence between points.
‘Thank you ladies and gentleman, if you could avoid opening bottles of champagne when the players are about to serve,’ the umpire said.
On BBC commentary, a pundit said they ‘loved that’ and insisted the announcement was ‘the most Wimbledon warning you’ve ever heard’.
The crowd on No3 Court however opted not to heed the umpire’s call for long, with Mail Sport understanding that another cork flew onto the court during Nuno Borges’ clash with Karen Khachanov.
Anisimova’s good friend Emma Raducanu was similarly affected by the good mood of fans on No1 Court during her opening match against her compatriot Mimi Xu.
During her straight-sets thrashing of the teenager, a cork flew onto the court and almost interrupted the match.
‘I’m glad people were having fun today,’ Raducanu joked during her post-match interview. ‘I saw a champagne cork fly onto the court so cheers to you!
‘It’s really nice to be back. I love the support and I love playing in this atmosphere.
‘It’s my favourite tournament by far so I’m happy to get another match here.’
The cork is said to have landed in the service box during a change of ends, with Raducanu heading onto court to pick it up.
Anisimova eventually bypassed Galfi 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, and with the win under her belt, had a more magnanimous message for the crowd in her on-court remarks.
‘It was an incredibly tough match,’ Anisimova said. ‘I just kept fighting, and she was playing some incredibly good tennis. I need to hit the practice courts tomorrow!
‘Thank you everyone for the support, it was amazing.’
After her match, Anisimova insisted that although the Wimbledon atmosphere took some getting used to, she was enjoying soaking up the unique energy of the crowd.
‘I mean, it kept happening (champagne corks popping),’ Anisimova told Mail Sport. ‘At some point I was, like, “Can everybody just do it on the changeover?”
‘It was a bit rowdy on that court, too, because you could hear everyone on the sides that are, like, outside of the court. It was definitely a bit distracting.
‘Then again, I have to just adjust, try and focus as much as I can. But it can be a little loud when people are doing their external things, but I love the atmosphere and the energy and the crowd supporting me, so it’s been good.’
