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Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonreva's doubles match at the 2023 US Open took a bizarre turn after a squirrel unexpectedly made its way onto the court.
Twelfth seeds Siegemund and Zvonreva took on Greet Minnen and Yanina Wickmayers for a place in the third round of the American Major. Minnen and Wickmayers took the lead in the match after claiming the opening set in the tiebreak.
As Laura Siegemund served at 15-30, 2-1 in the second set, a bizarre incident occurred when a squirrel invaded the court. The unexpected interruption led the chair umpire to call for the point to be replayed.
The peculiar incident drew laughter from the audience. Even the commentators enjoyed a moment of levity as they poked fun at the squirrel.
"I say my good man, do you have a ticket?" a commentator joked.
"He's got a credential," another commentator quipped in response.
Despite losing the opening set, Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva bounced back strongly to claim a 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-0 victory and advance to the Round of 16 at Flushing Meadows.
The duo will next lock horns with American pair Robin Montogomery and Clervie Ngounoue for a place in the quarterfinals.
"They treated me like I was a cheater" - Emotional Laura Siegemund on controversial US Open 1R match against Coco Gauff
Tensions flared during Laura Siegemund and Coco Gauff's first-round clash at the 2023 US Open after the latter approached the chair umpire and accused her German opponent of taking too long before getting ready to return. The American also argued that Siegemund had escaped time violations multiple times during the match.
The crowd rallied behind the home favorite and booed Siegemund when she approached the umpire to argue her case.
Speaking during her post-match press conference, Siegemund broke down in tears as she expressed her frustration with the US Open crowd, stating that they treated her like a "cheater" and a "bad person."
"At the end of the day I go home and I look at myself and I can say I did a great job, but did I get anything from people for that? I didn't. Maybe it's not zero. Maybe it feels like zero right now. But it feels pretty much like a flat zero, even less than zero because they treated me bad," the German said.
"Like they treated me like I was a cheater. Like I was like, trying sneaky ways to win this match or something. They treated me like I was a bad person," she added.
Coco Gauff defeated Laura Siegemund 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in their first-round clash. Through to the fourth round, Gauff will take on former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki for a place in the quarterfinals.
