No. 190 The US Open match where Nastase was defaulted, then reinstated

On August 30, 1979, John McEnroe beat Ilie Năstase in the second round of the U.S. Open, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2. The match became famous for a strange interruption: the chair umpire defaulted Năstase, the crowd erupted, and the tournament put Năstase back into the match with a different umpire. 12

The trouble built through the third and fourth sets. Chair umpire Frank Hammond penalized Năstase a point for arguing and stalling. In the fourth set, Hammond applied a game penalty as the same behavior continued. McEnroe led by two sets to one. 13

Năstase refused to serve. Hammond gave him 30 seconds to continue. When Năstase still stood his ground, Hammond declared McEnroe the winner. The decision lasted only long enough to make the crowd furious. Spectators threw beer cans and cups onto the court, and some moved onto the playing area. Police protected the players while officials tried to regain control. 3

The tournament referee, Mike Blanchard, came onto the court and tried to get the match moving again. Tournament director Bill Talbert also intervened as the crowd became uncontrollable. After an 18-minute stoppage, officials reinstated Năstase and replaced Hammond in the chair with Blanchard. 13

The reversal changed the cast as well as the score. Năstase returned to the court, but Hammond did not return to the chair. Blanchard officiated the rest of the match, and McEnroe finished the job with four sets on the official record. 12

The players already had the ingredients for a volatile night. McEnroe was a 20-year-old American rising through the draw. Năstase was a 33-year-old former U.S. Open champion known for theatrical arguments and delays. The 1979 meeting was a second-round match, which made the incident even stranger: a major tournament was still far from its final weekend, yet the officials had to stop play, reverse a default, and swap the chair umpire before the match could end. 3

The final score looks ordinary. The match's official chain of events does not. A player was declared out, the crowd rejected the decision, tournament officials restored the player, and the original chair umpire was removed from the rest of the match. That is the shareable oddity from August 30, 1979: the most consequential call of the night became an interruption rather than the ending.