Tennis

Spider-Cam Narrowly Misses Chair Umpire's Head After Malfunction At Australian Open


The drama unfolded after Barty upset Sharapova 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 at the Rod Laver Arena.

In the immediate aftermath the spider-cam, which hovers above the court on a cable, moving vertically and horizontally to offer an overhead perspective, attempted to swoop down closer to the action.

Instead the camera crashed into the sun shield of shocked umpire Alison Hughes, removing it completely and narrowly missing her head.

Stunned by the spider-cam malfunction, fans took to Twitter to express their concern.

Another social media user Richard Ings said people should not underplay how serious the incident was.

Barty, backed by a boisterous Australian crowd, staged a stunning turnaround in the biggest match of her career, beating the 2008 champion to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

After dropping the first set, the 15th seeded Australian registered a thrilling victory, capped with a dramatic final game in front of a packed home crowd.

She became just the fourth Australian female quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park, and the first since Jelena Dokic made a thrilling run to the last eight in 2009.

With Alex de Minaur, Alex Bolt and Alexei Popyrin all falling in third round of the men’s draw, Barty is the sole Australian standing at the Australian Open.

(With AFP Inputs)





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