Jannik
Sinner couldn't help but laugh during a tense moment in his match against Zhang
Zhizhen after his serve was interrupted by a fan's sneeze. The world No. 1 was
serving in the semifinals of the
Halle Open with the score at 6-4, 5-6, trying
to hold his serve to take the set to a tie-break.
The
Chinese player had found a good opportunity at the most critical moment of the
match, and they were at deuce while Sinner prepared to serve. With the stadium
in complete silence, a loud sneeze from someone in the audience echoed
throughout the venue, interrupting the Italian's serve, causing him to burst
into laughter due to the unusual situation.
Although
Sinner tried to quickly resume his serve, he had to take a moment to regain his
focus amidst the laughter and applause from the crowd. His opponent Zhang also
took the moment in good humor while waiting for Sinner's serve. The 22-year-old
player took a few seconds but finally connected his first serve with an ace,
giving him the advantage, and eventually won the game to take it to a
tie-break.
Sinner
managed to win the match in the tie-break 6-4, 7-6(3) and advanced to his
fourth final of the season. The 2024 Australian Open champion will now face
Hubert Hurkacz (world No. 9), who comes off a straight-sets victory over
Alexander Zverev (No. 4).