MELBOURNE, Australia — During a fourth-round match at the Australian Open, a malfunction with the net caused a brief interruption in the action. Defending champion Jannik Sinner faced off against Holger Rune when a screw that held the net in place became loose, leading to a delay of approximately 20 minutes in the early part of the fourth set.

Once play resumed, Sinner achieved a decisive victory with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, allowing him to advance to the quarterfinals. Post-match, Sinner described the timeout as “very helpful,” especially considering the challenging heat, which reached over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius). “Obviously, nobody was expecting this kind of thing. Usually when the net breaks, it’s not at the bottom,” he commented, expressing some relief at the unusual occurrence.

The incident unfolded when Sinner’s powerful serve inadvertently caused the metal component securing the net to malfunction. This particular piece connects the net’s bottom to a fixture that screws into the court surface, leaving the net unstable and play impossible until it was repaired. Numerous staff members rushed to the scene to assess the issue, and eventually, a maintenance worker successfully fixed it, prompting cheers from the audience packed into Rod Laver Arena.

Rune noted the rarity of such occurrences, stating, “This is probably something that will happen one out of 500 matches. It’s very rare. There’s nothing to do about it. The net broke. Boom. That’s it. We just had to wait.” During the delay, chair umpire Nico Helwerth opted to send both competitors to their locker rooms to escape the sweltering conditions while repairs were underway.

To keep the spectators informed, Helwerth addressed the crowd, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, we are trying to fix the net as quick as possible. It’s probably going to take a few minutes. Thank you for your patience.” Both players had previously taken medical timeouts during the contest. When play halted, Sinner was ahead with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 0-1.

Upon their return to the court, the two athletes were greeted with applause from fans. They were permitted a brief three-minute warm-up session before Sinner served to restart the match.