‘We need your help’: Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul Australian Open match halted due to emergency, officials respond swiftly; here's what happened

Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul Australian Open: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul (19) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, and 7-5 in the fourth-round match of the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday (January 25, 2026). The match between the two was halted for a few minutes in the opening set tiebreak due to a medical emergency in the stands.

The No. 1 seed had come back and rallied from an early breakdown in the first set, and the players were switching ends at 3-3 in the tiebreak. Just then fans at the top of Rod Laver Arena began shouting down for assistance. “AO support, we need your help,” spectators yelled, as quoted by Express UK. Tournament officials swiftly responded as Alcaraz and Paul looked to the stands.

“There is something happening above us, I’m not sure if it’s a spectator that’s fallen ill,” multiple news outlets quoted Mark Petchey as saying on commentary. John Fitzgerald, who was sitting courtside during the match, said, “It’s way up at the back; I’m not sure if it’s a medical issue. It’s tough to see.”


The umpire then informed the players that it was a medical emergency, after which Alcaraz and Paul headed back to their benches while waiting. According to news agency Reuters, the medical emergency involved an elderly woman. She was later able to get to her feet and was helped out of the arena.

The delay continued for more than 10 minutes. After around 14 minutes, the two players began walking back to the baseline. Chair umpire Marija Cicak returned to her chair and told the Rod Laver Arena crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, everything is fine; we’re going to continue in a couple of minutes,” as quoted by The Mirror.

Alcaraz cruises into Australian Open quarters

Alcaraz stormed into his third successive Australian Open ‍quarter-finals on Sunday, doling out another Grand Slam beatdown for American Tommy Paul in ⁠a match disrupted by a medical emergency in the crowd.

Having thrashed Paul in last year's French Open quarter-finals and beaten him in four sets at Wimbledon in ‌2024, the ‌world number one gave the 19th seed a hard-court humbling with a 7-6(6) 6-4 7-5 win ‌in the afternoon sunshine at Rod Laver Arena. The Spaniard will face the winner ⁠of sixth seed Alex ⁠de Minaur and 10th seed Alexander Bublik in the next round.