"Jelena Ostapenko is now a 2-time Slam champion";"Suspect No. 1" - Fans joke after fire alarm in HawkEye room halts play at US Open

Play was abruptly stopped on Day 8 of the US Open after a fire alarm went off at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Several fans humorously suggested that Jelena Ostapenko was responsible for triggering the alarm.

The interruption occurred during two fourth-round matches after a fire alarm went off in the building containing the Hawk-Eye system. While Daniil Medvedev was playing Nuno Borges at Arthur Ashe Stadium, another match between Caroline Wozniacki and Beatriz Haddad Maia was halted during the first set.

Moreover, several employees were seen evacuating the building, and play was halted for six minutes. Since the US Open relies entirely on Hawk-Eye for umpire decisions, the absence of operators disabled the electronic line-calling system for a while. Furthermore, the organizers disclosed that play resumed after they determined it was only an alarm.

Several fans humorously accused Jelena Ostapenko of setting off the fire alarm during the match. The Latvian has often criticized the electronic system for its alleged errors and experienced one of those first-hand during her second-round match at last year’s BNP Paribas Open.

"Jelena Ostapenko is now a two-time slam champion," a fan said.

"Someone pulled the fire alarm in the Hawkeye live building? #usopen Suspect 1:" another commented.

"Ostapenko outside the hawkeye building," a fan wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from the fans:

"Someone pulled the fire alarm cause their bet was losing," a fan joked.

"FIRE ALARM WHERE HAWKEYE IS? I KNOW HER A*S IS ON IT," a fan chimed in.

"The aesthetic superiority of tennis over other sports is brutal. It is unmatched,"another wrote (translated from Spanish).

Daniil Medvedev defeated Nuno Borges in straight sets, while Beatriz Haddad Maia overcame Caroline Wozniacki to reach the quarterfinals.

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Jelena Ostapenko advanced to the quarterfinals of the US Open in women's doubles along with Lyudmyla Kichenok

Western & Southern Open - Day 4 - Source: Getty

Jelena Ostapenko’s singles campaign at Flushing Meadows was far from ideal, as she lost in the first round to Naomi Osaka. However, the former French Open champion's hopes of winning her second Major title remain alive in the women's doubles draw.

The Latvian while teaming up with Lyudmyla Kichenok defeated the team of Jessica Failla and Jessie Aney, Makoto Ninomiya and Jiang Xinyu, and Laura Siegemund and Beatriz Haddad Maia to reach the quarterfinals of the New York Major.

Ostapenko and Lyudmyla will face the duo of Irina Khromacheva and Anna Danilina in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, August 3.