An umpire was forced to deliver the ‘most Wimbledon warning ever’ to spectators after a complaint from quarter-finalist Amanda Anisimova.
American world number 12 Anisimova was looking to respond after losing a tight second set to Dalma Galfi when she pulled out of a serve.
The 23-year-old was about to perform her ball toss when she was distracted by the loud popping of a champagne bottle from a spectator on Court Three at the All England Club.
‘Why do you have to open it right now?’ she said which gesturing her disappointment to the crowd and the chair umpire.
At the end of the next point, the umpire announced: ‘Ladies and gentleman if you could avoid opening bottles of champagne when players are about to serve, thank you.’
The BBC commentator then said: ‘I love that. It’s the most Wimbledon warning you’ve ever heard.’
Anisimova went on to take that set 6-3 and advance at Wimbledon at the expense of Hungarian world number 110 Galfi.
Asked about the incident in her post-match interview, Anisimova said: ‘Yeah, I mean, it kept happening. 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 outside of the court. It was definitely a bit distracting.
‘I just had to adjust, try and focus as much as I can. But, yeah, 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.’
Anisimova beat Czech world number 32 Linda Noskova in three sets in the fourth round to set up a quarter-final meeting with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who knocked out Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal.
Pavlyuchenkova recovered from having a game ‘stolen’ from her when the electronic line calling went down on Centre Court to beat the last-remaining female Brit in the draw.
This is Anisimova’s joint-best run at Wimbledon following her quarter-final defeat to Simona Halep in 2022.
There are no more former champions remaining in the women’s draw but three-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka remains the firm favourite to triumph in SW19.
French Open specialist Iga Swiatek and 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva are among the other contenders for the women’s Wimbledon title
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