Dominic Thiem advances after brush with deadly snake at Brisbane

BRISBANE, Australia — Former U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem faced one of Australia's most venomous snakes in a qualifying match at the Brisbane International on Saturday.

The former world number 3 was beaten by Australian James McCabe, 20, in a first round qualifying match when fans on the pitch spotted the snake.

Security personnel quickly arrived, but the referee had to stop play as the snake slithered onto the pitch, to the shock of players and fans.

“I really like animals, especially exotic animals,” Thiem said. “But they said it was a really venomous snake and it was close to children, so it was a really dangerous situation.

“It’s something that’s never happened to me and I’ll definitely never forget.”

The snake – identified as a 50-centimetre eastern brown snake and one of Australia's deadliest reptiles – was quickly safely removed, allowing play to resume.

But Thiem, 30, was not yet out of danger as he had to save three match points before equalizing by winning the second set tie-break. He then won the deciding set for a 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory.

The Austrian, currently ranked No. 98 after several years due to a serious wrist injury, will face either Italian Giulio Zeppieri or another Australian, Omar Jasika, in the final qualifying round tomorrow.

Thiem reached the Australian Open final in 2020 when he pushed champion Novak Djokovic to five sets, and he won the US Open later that year.