Fan trouble stalls match action

A MATCH was held up yesterday while police used pepper spray to subdue three spectators and ejected five fans from the grounds at the Australian Open.

The match between a finalist from last year, Fernando Gonzalez of Chile and Greece’s Konstantinos Economidis was stopped for five minutes.

Some of those ejected could be charged with assault, failing to obey police or using offensive language, Victoria Police Superintendent John Cooke said in a statement.

Last year, Serbian and Croatian fans clashed, some using sticks and flag poles. Police and security guards ejected about 150 spectators on the first day of the 2007 tournament.