Opelka, who was two points from losing when he trailed Norrie 5-3 in a second-set tiebreaker, eventually put the clash on his racquet in a decider. Serving at 5-4, 30-30, the wild card had enough of a heckler’s actions after being forced to catch his serve following the latest of multiple disruptions by the same man.
The Delray Beach, Fla. resident cursed out the spectator before Allensworth issued a point penalty for an audible obscenity, handing Norrie a chance to break back. The world No. 145 pleaded his case to Allensworth and though the on-site supervisor was called to the court, the decision wasn’t reversed.
“He kept coughing and was hiding behind a pole. I’m like dude, ‘I see you.’ The guy got kicked out and I got penalized. It makes no sense,” said Opelka.
“(Allensworth) got emotional, like we were arguing. He got very intense and frantic, couldn’t give me an answer. He didn’t tell that guy to shut up. He was doing it for like three points. He didn’t do a good job, so I had to tell him to get out of here. The guy was being quite rude.”
