While you were sleeping overnight, U.S. Open fans were buzzing on social media about the spectator who was ejected from Arthur Ashe Stadium after jeering German player Alexander Zverev with language from Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime.
However, some have noted that the person with whom he was attending the match was allowed to stay.
One reaction was that of Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy, who tweeted, “Did the girl stay when her date got the boot for the Hitler slur? Unreal theater at the Open.”
It’s possible the woman choosing to stay seated didn’t want to be associated with the unruly fan.
“A man has been escorted from Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open for yelling a Hitler phrase,” one person posted on X. “The woman he was with stayed in her seat as he was walked out. Even she didn’t want to be in his company.”
It’s possible she quickly joined him after attention turned back towards the match, but in the immediate aftermath, she stayed put.
Zverev, the No. 12 seed, was serving at 2-2 in the fourth set of his match against No. 6 Jannik Sinner when he suddenly went to chair umpire James Keothavong and pointed toward the fan, who was sitting in a section behind the umpire.
“He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is in this world,” Zverev told Keothavong. “It’s not acceptable.”
Keothavong turned backward and asked the fan to identify himself, then asked fans to be respectful to both players.
Then, during the changeover shortly after Zverev held serve, the fan was identified by spectators seated near him, and he was removed by security.
“A disparaging remark was directed toward Alexander Zverev,” U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier said, “The fan was identified and escorted from the stadium.”
Zverev said after the match that he’s had fans make derogatory comments before, but not involving Hitler.
“He started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day. It was ‘Deutschland über alles’ and it was a bit too much,” Zverev said.
“I think he was getting involved in the match for a long time, though. I don’t mind it, I love when fans are loud, I love when fans are emotional. But I think me being German and not really proud of that history, it’s not really a great thing to do and I think him sitting in one of the front rows, I think a lot of people heard it. So if I just don’t react, I think it’s bad from my side.”
Despite the ugly encounter, Zverev won in five sets, needing nearly five hours to complete the match.
He will face defending U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
— With AP