The Wimbledon men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner was briefly interrupted in the third set after a champagne cork from the crowd flew onto Centre Court.
With the score finely poised at 6-4, 4-6, and early in the third, tension was already high when the bizarre moment occurred.
Sinner was holding advantage during deuce and preparing to serve when a loud pop echoed around the stadium.
The cork landed close to the Italian, clearly throwing off his rhythm. A ball girl quickly removed the cork as both players showed visible frustration ; Alcaraz raised his arms in disbelief, while Sinner appeared irritated by the distraction.
Chair umpire Alison Hughes addressed the crowd immediately after: Ladies and gentlemen, please don’t pop your champagne corks as the players are about to serve.
This marks the second cork-related incident at this year’s Championships. Earlier, a popped cork landed in the service box during Emma Raducanu’s first-round win over Mimi Xu.
Raducanu responded with a smile, tossing it back into the stands but in a final of this intensity, the players weren’t nearly as amused.
