A spectator avoided major injuries despite being hit by a falling advertising banner at the Halle Open.
The 62-year-old woman was taken to hospital for ‘safety reasons’ after the incident at the OWL Arena in Germany.
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Home favourite Alexander Zverev had been facing Marcos Giron in their first round encounter when the board fell from the first tier.
With the German second seed leading 5-2 in the opening set, the match was halted following a loud bang.
The fan was then treated before being able to leave on her own with an ice pack handed to her by Zverev.
She had been sat in the lower tier of the stand when the advertising banner fell.
In a statement, tournament director Ralf Weber explained: “Something like this has never happened in our 32-year tournament history. We deeply regret the incident.”
Weber also confirmed the spectator had been offered a season ticket for next year’s tournament.
Fortunately, the fan avoided any major injuries having been taken to a local hospital.
A further statement was later released by event managers Dr Udo Kleine and Uwe Greipel-Dominik.
Explaining the potential cause of the incident, they said: “We suspect that the drumming against the cushions caused screws to come loose.
“This should not happen, and we apologise. We will also check all other cushions and their fastenings immediately after the Zverev match. The safety of our spectators is our top priority.”
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Once the fan had been treated, the match was able to resume on court.
The Halle Open is an ATP Tour 500 grass-court event held in the lead up to Wimbledon.
This year’s singles tournament began on Monday and will run through until the final on Sunday.
Zverev went on to win his opener in straight sets as he clinched a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
Speaking after the match, the world no.3 explained: “It was a great match from me. I thought it was quite high level.
“Maybe he wanted to play a bit better than he did, but I felt like I didn’t let him play that well, which was important for me.
“A good start to the tournament and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Zverev will face Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in the last 16 on Thursday.