Crying baby tests Raducanu’s focus

Tennis is no stranger to quirky interruptions -- champagne corks popping at Wimbledon, pigeons wandering across the clay at Roland Garros -- but at the Cincinnati Open on Monday, Emma Raducanu's tense showdown with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was halted by a crying baby.

The unusual disruption came deep in the deciding set of their three-hour thriller. Serving at 3-4 in a marathon eighth game that would stretch to 13 deuces, Raducanu had fought her way to 40-15 before Sabalenka battled back to deuce. Just as the Briton prepared to serve again, a child's persistent cries from the stands broke her focus.

After nearly ten minutes of noise, Raducanu stepped back from the baseline, turned to the chair umpire, and said, "It's been like 10 minutes." The umpire, slightly amused, replied, "It's a child. Do you want me to send the child out of the stadium?" The question drew laughter from Raducanu and roars of approval from the crowd, with several fans shouting "Yes!" on her behalf.

The official noted she could ask staff to act but urged that play continue "for the moment," which prompted applause. Raducanu, smiling and shaking her head, grabbed her towel, regrouped, and eventually held serve to level at 4-4.

In the end, her grit wasn't enough to topple the defending champion. Sabalenka edged a pulsating contest 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) to set up a round-of-16 clash with Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

While the baby's cries may have amused spectators, they offered a reminder of the unpredictable nature of live sport. Distractions come in many forms, and in the sweltering Cincinnati heat, the mental battle was every bit as demanding as the physical one.

Raducanu took it in good humor, but the incident underscored how quickly momentum can shift at the elite level. One point -- or one distraction -- can alter the course of a match.