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'COULD NOT BELIEVE THE NOISE': UNREAL SCENES AS CROWD FORCE VENUE SWITCH



A second-round match between Félix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was shifted to another court due to excessive noise from French fans at Melbourne Park.


Davidovich Fokina survived an enthralling contest from two sets down, defeating recent Adelaide champion Auger-Aliassime in five sets on Court 7.


However, drama unfolded seven games into the match as the pair originally battled it out on Court 8, only for both players to call the tournament supervisor in frustration.



Court 6, which is next to Court 8, contained passionate French supporters cheering for Arthur Cazaux in his four-set defeat against Jacob Fearnley.


As both Auger-Aliassime and Davidovich Fokina became fed up with the over-the-top chanting, their request to move courts was eventually successful after refusing to play midway through the first set.


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Frenchman Ugo Humbert's match against Lebanon hero Hady Habib was also scheduled at the same time on Court 3 combined with a pulsating atmosphere, but Auger-Aliassime and Davidovich Fokina moved closer distance to their match, suggesting the real disturbance came from Court 6.


"I was walking past the court and I could not believe the noise," former world No.5 Daniela Hantuchová told Stan Sport's Grand Slam Daily.


"We talked about when Sania Mirza was bringing the Indian crowds in and in the past years we had the Swedes, we had the Argentinians, but this was like soccer with baseball and basketball combined.


"I mean it was so loud and of course when you play against a French guy, you have to expect that the French people get involved as well.


"And actually the players, everyone that was outside, everyone was saying, the coaches, the players, like 'you guys, you have to go and see it yourself'".


It wasn't the only controversy to occur in a bonkers match, as Davidovich Fokina received a time violation in the fifth set; refusing to play for a short period of time.



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