Australian Open: Seagull Interrupts Final Set Tie-Break

An unusual incident occurred during the first round of the Australian Open when a seagull landed on the court at an inopportune moment during Jan-Lennard Struff’s match against Rinky Hijikata. Struff was serving for the match in a fifth-set tie-break when the unexpected visitor, a seagull, decided to join the action on Court 3. With the distraction of the bird and the challenges of facing Hijikata and the enthusiastic Australian crowd, Struff found himself in a unique situation just as he was about to execute a potential match-winning serve.

The seagull landed inside the tramlines on Struff’s side of the court, precisely as he was gearing up for a crucial serve. Despite providing some amusement for the crowd, the bird quickly departed, allowing Struff to regain focus and resume the intense match. Although Hijikata won the point amid the commotion, Struff eventually secured victory in a closely contested match with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(2), 7-6(8). This advanced Struff to the second round, where he is set to face Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

Interestingly, this was not the only seagull-related incident of the day. In the match between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Dominic Thiem, a seagull landed on the court during the fourth set as Thiem staged a remarkable comeback. Despite the distraction, Auger-Aliassime ultimately secured the victory against the Austrian after nearly five hours of play.

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