US Open match halted as umpire and both players 'destroy the court' hunting lost item

There was an unusual delay in Barbora Krejcikova's match against No. 22 seed Victoria Mboko when Krejcikova lost a crucial piece of equipment on the court. The two-time Major winner hit an overhead in the first game of the second set, and the small vibration dampener on her racket went flying across the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Krejcikova walked to the side of the court to hunt for it in the middle of the game, unable to play on without the tiny rubber piece etched in her racket to absorb the vibrations whenever she hit the ball. It was such a mission that Mboko joined her on the search, and the chair umpire also got down to help.

It appeared that someone in Krejcikova's box could see where the dampener was, but the current world No. 62 hunted far and wide, to no avail. The Czech star got down on the ground to look under her bench, pacing around the side of the court in her search.

"She's hit it so low down, she's lost the vibration dampener. This is a game we've all played, find the vibration dampener. It's flown out of the strings," Naomi Cavaday said on Sky Sports.

Mboko, who had already lost the first set to Krejcikova, joined her on the hunt, and chair official Aurelie Tourte also took to the court as Cavaday joked that they were going to "destroy" it.

She added: "Somebody can see it. I think someone in her camp can see exactly where it is.

"Victoria is joining in the game. You've got to get down at ground level guys, scan across, you'll see a bump. They can get in any corner. They'll have to destroy the place to try and find it. Rip up the floor."

Tourte could be heard asking Krejcikova whether the shock absorber was yellow. "It's white," she replied.

Mboko then asked whether it was under the Evian coolbox, and a court attendant moved it, but the dampener still wasn't under there.

Finally, after a brief delay, Tourte found the dampener and handed it to Krejcikova, and play finally resumed.

The former world No. 2 has been battling injuries over the past year and returned from a six-month layoff in May. It's been a disappointing season so far, but she looked in top form against Canadian Open champion Mboko.

Krejcikova broke twice as she took the opening set 6-3. After putting her dampener back in her racket, she also took an early break in the second set.

Mboko was playing her first match since lifting the title at the WTA 1000 in Montreal earlier this month. The teenager got a wildcard into her home tournament and ended as the champion, claiming her first tour-level trophy. But she went on to lose 6-3 6-2.

Krejcikova paid tribute to her opponent after the match, telling the crowd: "I saw it in Montreal. It's huge what she has achieved already. How well she played. When I was watching it I was really happy she made it because it's a huge huge victory for her. Good luck to her."

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