US Open: American star visibly upset after harsh gesture and security forced to intervene
This year’s US Open has already thrown up memorable moments as the competition reaches its closing stages. But one match had a player on the verge of tears, and her opponent was compelled to issue a statement explaining a post-game gesture.
Flushing Meadows has not disappointed in 2026. Novak Djokovic’s first-ever opening-round loss sprung an early surprise as Carlos Alcaraz picked up right where he left off against Roman Safiullin after spending four months injured on the sidelines. Aryna Sabalenka’s hunt for a hat-trick of titles in New York also continues. With the fourth round in full flow and the quarter-finals closing in, American hopes are still alive and well, too, with Jessica Pegula leading the charge in the women’s draw and Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen all through to the men’s final eight.
But not all home favourites have had an easy time, with one American suffering an emotional loss to an opponent who was forced to explain a gesture post-match. Security has also had to intervene during a different tie, as Express Sport brings you the latest from Flushing Meadows.
Anisimova on the verge of tears
Last year, Amanda Anisimova was a US Open finalist. But 12 months on, she has suffered a crushing third-round defeat to Anastasia Potapova. And she almost broke down during the loss.
Anisimova lost the first set 6-2, and emotion began to get the better of her as she was 0-30 down at 4-4 in the second. She looked up to the sky and appeared to fight back tears.
The Wimbledon finalist was eventually defeated 6-2, 7-5. This loss means she drops out of the WTA’s top-10, having been ranked as highly as World No.3. But her opponent also landed herself in hot water after the game finished.
Potapova’s gesture
Following her victory over Anisimova, No. 24 seed Potapova was accused of being unsporting. As the American exited the stadium, Potapova seemingly waved goodbye in her direction, prompting some fans to think it was a harsh taunt.
This forced the Russian-born Austrian to explain her action on social media, where she clarified that she was only waving to a friend in the crowd.
“I see sooo many questions about my bye wave after the match. You just wanna make a circus out of everything,” Potapova wrote, adding a crying-laughing emoji. “I waved to my friend, who’s been sitting there and supporting me. Just be easier, guys, but I guess haters gonna hate.”
Security intervenes
Elsewhere, security was forced to intervene as hecklers, who appeared to be drunk, disrupted Learner Tien’s victory over Jakub Mensik. Tien, the No. 14 seed, and No. 17 seed Mensik clashed in a thrilling five-set third-round match on Sunday evening.
But as the game reached its closing stages, two fans in the crowd began to irk Mensik. In the fourth set, things reached a breaking point as the heckling grew harsh, and Mensik urged the umpire to do something.
Even though the fans were shouting in support of Tien, the rest of the New York crowd soon began chanting: “Kick him out.” Security then stepped in to remove one of the hecklers, who raised his arms in triumph as he was removed from Louis Armstrong Stadium.
He was accompanied by another man who left of his own accord. The match continued without further disruption, but Mensik struggled to regain his composure and was dumped out despite leading 2-1 in sets.
