By Rory Carroll
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A fan who got a haircut during Nick Kyrgios’ U.S. Open quarter-final match on Tuesday evening created a buzz with spectators but failed to impress tournament organizers who had him and his ‘barber’ removed.
The buzz cut took place as the Australian tennis ace battled and eventually lost the match against Russia’s Karen Khachanov, with the stunt catching the attention of TV commentators covering the tournament.
“Weird time to do that,” ESPN analyst and former professional tennis player John McEnroe said dryly. “So now we’ve seen everything.”
The fan, who wore a Louis Vuitton barber cape while his companion gave him a close crop with a set of clippers, was identified by Sports Illustrated as YouTuber JiDion. The pair were reportedly escorted out of Arthur Ashe Stadium as a result.
With its late night matches and rowdy crowds, the year’s final Grand Slam attracts a wide variety of colorful characters every year to Flushing Meadows.
“Beer Girl” Megan Lucky made her triumphant return this year, chugging down an entire 500-millilitre (18 imperial fluid ounce) glass of beer while on the jumbotron (huge TV screen) to the delight of thousands of tennis fans in a reprise of her attention-grabbing 2021 performances.
“It seems this is becoming a tradition at this point,” the tournament’s official Twitter account posted alongside a video of Lucky downing the beer in one go.
“I’ve missed you guys,” Lucky said in response.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in New York; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
