The chair umpire for the Cincinnati Open match between Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka had an unusual but seemingly fair request on Monday.
During a tense game that had 13 deuces at 4-3 in the final set, a baby was crying somewhere in the stands for around 10 minutes. Having been bothered by the distraction for long enough, Raducanu requested the umpire to make an announcement for the baby and whoever they were being cared for by to leave the stadium.
Funnily enough, it’s the fans who also seemed to agree with Raducanu.
Before serving, Raducanu can be heard saying, “It’s been like 10 minutes.”
That’s when the umpire responds with, “It’s a child. Do you want me to send the child out of the stadium?”
Before Raducanu could even reply, several fans in the stands answered in the affirmative. All Raducanu had to do at that point was smile and point to those answering fans.
Raducanu managed to hold serve on that occasion but went on to lose 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5). Sabalenka will face Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the next round.
“It’s a child do you want me to send the child out of the stadium?” 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/7f1SgakQez
— Owen (@kostekcanu) August 11, 2025
Raducanu Showing Encouraging Signs
Despite the defeat, Raducanu can feel very good about pushing Sabalenka to a tight three-setter.
In recent tournaments, she has defeated Naomi Osaka, Maria Sakkari and Marketa Vondrousova. Currently ranked 39th in the world, Raducanu will be hoping reaching the final 32 in Cincinnati can help her get seeded for the U.S. Open.
The top 32 players get seeded. Though Raducanu is currently outside that, some players inside the top 32 may miss out due to injury.
Earning a seed provides the opportunity to avoid the top players in the draw in the early rounds.
Raducanu won the U.S. Open back in 2021 and looks closer to that level with every match.
