Coco Gauff, Karolina Muchova U.S. Open semifinal match interrupted by protesters [VIDEO]

Thurday’s U.S. Open semifinal match between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova was delayed in the second set due to a protest. Three individuals stood in the stands with shirts that read “End Fossil Fuels’ and were chanting the same phrase. With tennis rules requiring silence in the stands, the mantra proved disruptive as the protestors delayed play for 25 minutes.

The No. 6 seed, Gauff won the first set 6-4 and was up 1-0 in the second set at the time of protest. This is already her best appearance in the U.S. Open after making the quarterfinals a year ago. A win in the semifinals would grant her her second appearance in a Grand Slam final. Her lone other appearance was in the 2022 French Open, but she came up short against Iga Swiatek.

Muchova is used to dealing with tough opponents. She needed all three rounds to overcome Wang Xinyu in the fourth round. She advanced 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 over her opponent and then won in straight sets over #30 Sorana Cirstea. This is her first appearance past the fourth round of the U.S. Open and her third semifinal among the tennis majors. Her best career finish saw her make it to the French Open finals this year, but she also fell to Swiatek.