Vocal Pro-Palestine protesters managed to halt sixth seed Naomi Osaka's eventual win 6-4 6-4 over Israeli Lina Glushko today at the ASB Classic.
A group of around a dozen protesters caused the players to briefly leave the court, as the noise from a loudhailer and shouting disrupted the usual silence while the ball was in play.
For her part, Osaka seemed non-plussed, saying that she had "just heard a lot of shouting and then people on the sidelines were telling me there was a protest".
There was a further delay shortly after when Glushko had to leave the arena for a medical timeout, causing further confusion. In a press release, the Palestine Forum of New Zealand stated that they had targeted the match as Glushko is a former Israeli Defence Force member and "symbolizes a regime that implements apartheid policies".
It was always unlikely the 220 ranked Glushko was going to be staying longer than the first round anyway, given that she came through qualifying and Osaka is a four time Grand Slam winner. The Japanese former world number one said that the "first match of the season is always very tough…and I'm just glad to get it done in two (sets)."
"It's definitely a little difficult," Osaka said of the windy Auckland conditions.
"You definitely can't predict where the wind's going, but I figure if I'm struggling with it, my opponent is too. So I can't make any excuses. I think there were some on and off moments with my focus, I was really nervous."
Nerves or not, Osaka did win comfortably so this stands as a pretty good statement to the rest of the field.
Meanwhile, a sombre Lulu Sun faced media after her shock first round loss to Canadian Rebecca Marino. Sun, who switched allegiance to New Zealand and stood as the most likely hope for a home town victory in decades, said that Marino's awkward style was a key factor in the 6-3 3-6 6-3 result.
"I mean, she kind of plays that way, you know?" said Sun.
"She doesn't give you a lot of rhythm. She serves good serves. And then she had one or two shots and then she'll miss some shots. So she is definitely a player that doesn't give rhythm."
Lulu Sun (NZL) reacts after losing a point against Rebecca Marino (CAN). Photo: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
Sun also admitted a bit of rust didn't help, given that it was her first competitive match since August.
"I haven't had a really official match in six months, so, I think that was probably more of a problem. If I would have played someone with rhythm, maybe I would kind of get the flow. But since her game style is that way where you don't get a lot of rhythm."
Sun was confident of bouncing back for the upcoming Australian Open.
"I do the same routines usually. So it gives you kind of, zen moment, I guess. And I talked to my coach and kind of devise game plans and all."
Crowd pleaser Emma Raducanu is the big name in action on day two, when she takes on American Robin Montgomery.
