A medical emergency overshadowed matches on adjoining courts at the Australian Open when Nigel Sears, who is Ana Ivanovic’s coach and Andy Murray’s father-in-law, was rushed to a hospital while both of their third-round matches were in progress.
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Ivanovic and Keys waited on court for around 10 minutes before they were informed play had been suspended and left the arena.
The 58-year-old was conscious, breathing and talking not long after the incident and on Sunday said he was nearly ready to return home.
It is the second time this tournament that one of Ivanovic’s matches had been suspended after her second round match against Anastasija Sevastova was held up for 26 minutes when a woman fell in the stands at the same showcourt.
Switzerland’s Wawrinka, the champion in 2014, beat Czech Republic’s Lukas Rosol 6-2, 6-3, 7-6, while Spain’s Ferrer overcame American Steve Johnson 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 and Johnson’s fellow countryman Isner got the better of Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Sears is the father of Murray’s wife Kim, who is expecting their first child in mid-February and has not travelled to Melbourne. Keys went on to win the match 4-6 6-4 6-4.
Murray, 27, breezed through his opening set but his Portuguese opponent came roaring back in the second. He was taken to hospital, conscious but injured, even as Murray made into the fourth round of the Australian Open for the eighth year in row.
His customary on-court interview was cancelled and it was also announced he would not be giving a post-match press conference. Sears’ collapse mirrored an incident which shook up Ivanovic during her third-round match, when an elderly spectator was badly hurt in a fall on stairs at the same stadium.
“That’s just far bigger than whatever thing I could have done on court today”.
“I struggled. At the beginning, I think he was extremely aggressive, very intense”, Murray said. It was tricky. I didn’t feel great.
Keys also declined to speak to the media and didn’t address Sears’ collapse, but she issued a statement, saying, “A little bit of a slow start in the third”.
The Swiss fourth seed now meets Canadian Raonic, who was sacked by his grief over the high school shooting, as he overwhelmed Victor Troicki 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.
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Elsewhere, Johanna Konta became the first British woman to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open in 29 years as she cruised past Denisa Allertova. “Coming back to that is always great”, she said.
