(VIDEO) Conflict on Challenger Tour: Tennis player squares up to fan as umpire gets involved in tense situation

Drama on the Challenger Tour emerged in Rome when tensions reached boiling point between a player and a fan. This resulted in the pair squaring up while the umpire hurriedly tried to cool the situation down in a dramatic turn of events.

Nerman Fatic was the one to take the headlines. The Bosnian was playing a first round match against the number two seed Tseng Chun-Hsin. With around 70 places ranked between the players, it would be a huge win for Fatic if he was able to get over the line successfully.

It did not start brilliantly. Fatic fell a break behind after failing to take a prior break point. He would extract his revenge almost instantly, breaking with his third opportunity on the next game.

After another two holds, Fatic was under pressure on his own service game. He went for a drop shot which Chun-Hsin was able to get to. Fortune was on the Chinese Taipei side as he clipped the top of the net, making it almost impossible for Fatic to retrieve.

The score would go deuce, but it would be a moment before they could continue. Out of sheer frustration, Fatic launched the ball far away onto the neighbouring courts. Something irked him off the court. A loud roar from the edge of the court where eager tennis fans were watching on, entertained by the situation.

Fatic did not take well to this at all. He marched over to confront them as the umpire repeatedly cried out: "Calma." This did not halt Fatic in his tracks, so he had to climb down from his chair and race across the clay court to stop a possible altercation.

He was too slow. The 31-year-old had seemed to pinpoint one particular fan he was very displeased with, sharing some angry words. The umpire soon got to the scene as he did his best efforts to calm the situation down.

It was around 20-30 seconds before Fatic trudged towards the baseline guided by the umpire. He still had a match to win, and seemingly that could have been the turning point. He saved two break points before winning the final two games of the set to storm out into the lead. An early break in the second was enough for him to see the match out and book his spot in the last-16 while taking out one of the big seeds.

Fatic has reserved most of his tennis for the Challenger Tour. He has attempted to qualify for five Grand Slams but never made it beyond the second round. He has won two Challenger titles, reached a career high of world number 191 and is currently Bosnia and Herzegovina's number two behind Damir Dzumhur. His next match in Rome will be against world number 312 Pol Martin Tiffon.