US Open fan ejected after ‘Hitler phrase’ as Zverev beats Sinner

A fan was ejected from the US Open on Monday after Germany’s Alexander Zverev protested about a “Hitler phrase” being shouted from the stands.

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, reacts after a point against Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open. | Photo Credit: AP

A fan was ejected from the US Open on Monday after Germany’s Alexander Zverev protested about a “Hitler phrase” being shouted from the stands.

Zverev was serving in the fourth set of his last 16 battle with Italy’s Jannik Sinner on the Arthur Ashe Stadium when the drama unfolded.

The 12th-seeded Zverev approached chair umpire James Keothavong to complain about the alleged catcall.

“He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is in this world,” Zverev told the umpire. “This is unbelievable.”

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Keothavong consulted with security officials in an attempt to identify the culprit.

Eventually a man wearing a blue baseball cap was singled out and ordered to leave the arena.

Alexander Zverev defeated Jannik Sinner in a late-night five-set US Open marathon to line up a quarter-final with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

German 12th seed Zverev outlasted Sinner 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in a gruelling 4hr 41min match which finished at 1.39am local time Tuesday on a muggy night in New York.

Zverev claimed his second win over the sixth-seeded Italian in three US Opens and advanced to a third quarter-final here.

The 26-year-old Zverev holds a 3-2 record against world number one Alcaraz and appears to be regaining his best form after a horror ankle injury at last year’s French Open.

The late-night US Open crowds on the 23,000-capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium are famously boisterous but have been criticised during the tournament.

Former Australian professional Rennae Stubbs said shortly after the Zverev incident on Monday that there were fans at night sessions that were “not good.”

“I love the fans but at this point there are some bad characters,” Stubbs wrote on X.

There are some fans this late at night @usopen that are not good! I ❤️ the fans but at this point there are some bad characters. I had a drink thrown on me last night by a drunk fan who was fighting with her boyfriend. Now we got someone yelling Hitler slurs! Wtf? Come on peeps.

— Rennae Stubbs 🟦👍🏼 (@rennaestubbs) September 5, 2023

“I had a drink thrown on me last night by a drunk fan who was fighting with her boyfriend. Now we got someone yelling Hitler slurs! Wtf? Come on peeps.”

German player Laura Siegemund also vented at the Arthur Ashe crowd after her first round defeat to Coco Gauff last week.

“They had no respect for me, no respect for the way I played, no respect for the player that I am, they had no respect for good tennis,” a tearful Siegemund said.