The Halle Open witnessed an unexpected incident during Alexander Zverev's first-round match against Marcos Giron on Wednesday, when an advertising board detached from the upper tier of the stadium and landed on a spectator in the lower section. The incident occurred when Zverev was leading 5-2 in the first set, causing a brief halt to the match.

According to reports, the fallen board struck a 62-year-old woman from Halle. Tournament officials stated that she did not sustain any major injuries but was taken to a local hospital for precautionary checks. Following the incident, Zverev and chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein immediately rushed to offer assistance, providing the spectator with an ice pack. The woman was able to leave the stadium on her own, tending to her neck with the ice pack provided by Zverev.

Tournament Director Ralf Weber expressed his regret, stating that such an incident had never occurred in the tournament's 32-year history. As a gesture of goodwill, Weber personally checked on the spectator at the medical center and offered her a complimentary season ticket for the following year's tournament. Event managers Dr. Udo Kleine and Uwe Greipel-Dominik suggested that the incident may have been caused by drumming against the boards, which could have loosened the screws. They confirmed that neighboring boards were inspected before play resumed and that a thorough check of all boards would be conducted.

Despite the interruption, Zverev secured a comfortable 6-2, 6-1 victory over Giron, advancing to the second round. This win marks a positive step for Zverev, who is aiming for his first grass-court title, especially after finishing as runner-up in Stuttgart the previous week. In other matches at Halle, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov also progressed to the next round with straight-set wins.