Both of Thursday’s Wimbledon women’s semifinals were halted by stoppages in their first sets, due to spectators being taken ill in the stands.World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka had saved two break points to force deuce against Amanda Anisimova, the No 13 seed, with the scoreline at 2-3 in the first set when play first came to a halt on Centre Court.A spectator was seen to be in need of assistance, and Sabalenka responded by bringing a bottle of water and an ice pack to the section of the crowd in the East Stand, where the spectator was sitting, while stewards rushed to provide umbrellas for the member of the crowd. Centre Court applauded the No 1 seed for her quick reaction.
Aryna Sabalenka comes to the aid of a fan in need with a bottle of water and ice pack as the heat at Wimbledon continues to rise on and off the court! 🥵 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/tOcFL3Oxvz
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 10, 2025Umpire Damien Dumusois instructed both players to take a seat courtside while the unwell spectator was tended to before the players took back to the court following a six-minute stoppage.
Sabalenka proceeded to dispatch the deuce at her first attempt, and the pair traded holds of serve until the change of ends after the top seed served for 5-4, when play was again suspended with a spectator seen to by stewards. Sabalenka again offered her bottle of water into the crowd as several umbrellas shielded the member of the crowd, with both players returning to their seats either side of the umpire.Anisimova went on to beat Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, to reach her first Grand Slam final. She is the first American to reach a Wimbledon final since Serena Williams in 2019.A similar incident occurred during Iga Świątek’s later semifinal against Belinda Bencic, with the five-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 leading 3-0. Play was again paused for several minutes, with the players alternating between shadow swings in the sun and standing in the shade to stay ready for action.
