Former U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem made his way into the main draw of the Brisbane International on Saturday, but not before a hissing intruder slithered onto the court and briefly halted play.
Thiem lost the opening set of his qualifying clash against Australian youngster James McCabe before eagle-eyed fans spotted a snake near the courtside electrical wires, prompting officials to call in security staff and stop play.
A professional was brought in to catch the 50-cm (20-inch) reptile, which local media identified as a deadly eastern brown snake, holding up play for 40 minutes.
"I really love animals, especially exotic ones," Thiem said. "But they said it was a really poisonous snake and it was close to the ballkids, so it was a really dangerous situation."
"It's something that has never happened to me and is something I'll definitely never forget," the former world number three told reporters after the match.
Thiem, who has slipped to 98 in the world amid injury struggles, fought back in the second set before sealing a 2-6 7-6(4) 6-4 win to reach the main draw of the Australian Open tune-up tournament.
The year's first Grand Slam begins on Jan. 14 in Melbourne.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, attended the fourth stage of the Al Salam Cycling Championship, which took place on Sunday at Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim insists there is no running away from the club's plight after they suffered a 1-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, their 12th defeat in 25 Premier League games this season.
British debutant Emma Raducanu got her Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships campaign off to the perfect start, defeating former World Number 3 Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-2 under the lights on Centre Court.
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