US Open: Unusual delay due to racket vibrator finder

The US Open Halts for an Unexpected “Hide-and-Seek” Game

New York – A peculiar incident interrupted one of the first matches on Monday at the US Open, adding an unexpected touch to the tournament. The pause, which lasted several minutes, was due to the search for a lost object on the court. The situation unfolded when the vibration dampener from the racket of Barbora Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam champion, came off on the second point of her match against Canada’s Victoria Mboko. The chair umpire, Aurelie Tourte, Mboko, the audience, and security personnel joined Krejcikova in the search for the lost object.

It’s happened to me many, many times in my career. We lost it and couldn’t find it. That’s basically what was happening there. The damper was playing with us, so we all looked for it and I’m glad we found it.

Barbora Krejcikova

Krejcikova, who won Wimbledon last year and the French Open in 2021, expressed her gratitude for the help received in finding the damper, a device that players use to reduce vibrations when hitting the ball. Once the setback was resolved, the 29-year-old tennis player, originally from the Czech Republic, managed to advance in straight sets with a score of 6-3 and 6-2. Mboko, who will turn 19 on Tuesday, tried not to be affected by the interruption of approximately six minutes.

She interrupted the game a little. It was fine, I guess. I tried to concentrate and refocus because it took quite a while to find her bumper. I think after all, I just wanted to regroup. It was a small pause in the game, but I tried to make sure I stayed active, bouncing and ready for the next point.

Victoria Mboko

Mboko played with her right wrist heavily bandaged to stabilize a previous injury. The tennis player came from winning the tournament in her home country in Montreal, where she defeated Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Sofia Kenin. Mboko expressed her satisfaction at the opportunity to face high-level players and how this contributes to her growth as a tennis player, preparing her for future competitions.