For a really long time now, standard tennis protocols suggest pin-drop silence in the stadium when the ball is in play. However, the crowd in Flushing Meadows seems to be slowly forgetting about this long-standing rule amid the pomp and show.
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And during the second-round match between Naomi Osaka and Katerina Siniakova at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, fans were on the receiving end of the chair umpire’s announcement, who wanted the stadium to calm down. “During play, try to remain quiet,” she said.
This is not the first time such disruptions have occurred during Osaka’s match at the US Open. Her opening match against Anastasia Zakharova had to be put on hold as chair umpire Kaider Nouni first had to fend off some unwanted attention from the crowd, as a group of social media influencers went overboard while posing for photographs and making videos in the hospitality box with bright lights, which is not ideal during a point.
Moreover, the match was poised at deuce in the fourth game of the second set, with the two-time US Open winner set to serve. So naturally, Nouni had to step in and politely ask the influencers to stop the commotion.
“Guys, please, in the suite behind me, thank you guys, please take your seat,” Nouni said.
Unfortunately, Osaka fluffed her first serve and eventually lost the point. Still, she managed to win in straight sets to pass to the next round.
Such instances have been one of the highlights of the US Open this year, so much so that USTA spokesperson Brendan McIntyre had to put out a statement to the Post, describing such instances as things that happen “infrequently.”
“We want our fans and guests to have an incredible time when they attend the US Open, but we also need to ensure that does not interfere with the action and competition on the court,” McIntyre said. “These instances happen infrequently, and similar to when crowd noise reaches a certain level, our chair umpires have the ability to address the crowd when they occur.”
But regardless, it is safe to presume USTA has fully embraced the social media wave and the impact that creators and influencers have on the event. The tournament has granted around 100 influencers access to the event to produce content about the game, the venue, and food/merchandise. Considering how popular the $23 Honey Duece has become, those 100 influencers are certainly doing their part to the fullest.
Ironically, most of the top players participating in the Flushing Meadows do not have an issue with the riled-up crowd. Rather, they enjoy the energy they experience from all sides of the stadium.
“The U.S. Open makes stars and there’s just a special type of energy there.” Osaka herself said this in a statement to Town&Country two years back, as she believes Arthur Ashe is a “stage”.
Even on the men’s side, USA’s very own Francis Tiafoe had nothing but praise for the crowd in New York City. “New York—it’s different,” Tiafoe said. “Night on Ashe is so special. It’s the biggest court in tennis. The atmosphere is wild.”
While Flushing Meadows is not your average tennis crowd, the professionals’ performances are not affected by it one bit. And Osaka’s second-round match was proof of that, as she recovered after losing a 5-3 second-set lead to defeat Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 in 2 hours and 2 minutes.
Osaka now marches on to face No. 20 seed Elise Mertens for the 10th time in a rivalry dating back to 2017. Osaka has had a major upper hand against the Belgian, leading 6-3 in their head-to-head.