Jack Draper’s match abandoned as food delivery disrupted at Vienna Open | Tennis | sport

Jack Draper’s round of 16 clash with Luciano Darderi at the Vienna Open was interrupted after a fraudulent food delivery driver got lost.

It came at a crucial time in the competition as two games in the first set ended in a draw.

Darderi was preparing to serve when he was interrupted by the referee, who shouted “Bitte…bitte,” an exclamation in German aimed at the delivery driver.

“Yes, you,” he continued until the visibly confused person finally got the hint that she needed to sit down.

TV directors quickly got wind of what was happening when the cameras panned to the man, who was wearing a bright orange Lieferando T-shirt – the Austrian equivalent of Just Eat.

The players finished the game, which went like the Italian before the delivery driver could successfully complete the order.

How and why a fast food delivery was ordered to the Wiener Stadthalle in the Austrian capital is unknown, but it caused plenty of confusion online.

@c04d003021dd4f3 said: “That wouldn’t happen at Wimbledon.”

@pcaseysafc commented: “The referee in Jack Draper’s recent game in Austria simply had to ask a spectator to sit down when he tried to sneak in with a large Just Eat food bag.”

The stunt didn’t seem to faze Draper as the Brit won the first set 5-7 before closing the match with a 6-1 win in the second set.

However, there was a brief moment of frustration for the US Open semi-finalist when Draper smashed his racket to the ground after losing a point in the first set.

After slightly overcooking a forehand return, the 22-year-old threw his racket to the ground before sheepishly picking it up and running away with his tail between his legs.

Regardless, Draper will face winner Grigor Dimitrov, the No. 3 seed, and Tomas Machac in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

At the Vienna Open, Alexander Zverev and Lorenzo Musetti will meet in the first quarterfinal, with the winner of this duel facing the winner of Draper’s round of 16.

Matteo Berrettini and Jakub Mensik also made it to the quarterfinals and will play against the winners Karen Khachanov against Brandon Nakashima and Flavio Cobolli against Alex de Minaur, respectively.

The crowning conclusion is the finale on Sunday afternoon in Vienna.