Wimbledon 2023: Australia’s Daria Saville knocked out in straight sets after Just Stop Oil protests

Daria Saville went out in straight sets at Wimbledon but her match was more than eventful as the Australian was left to pick up the pieces after a Just Stop Oil activist invaded her court.

A Just Stop Oil demonstrator is escorted off court court after disrupting the match between Daria Saville and Katie Boulter. Picture: Glyn Kirk/AFP

Katie Boulter had to pick up the pieces after a Just Stop Oil activist interrupted her match with confetti hidden in a jigsaw box amid a massive security operation designed to prevent protests.

It was the second such stunt of the day, with two others having used the same Wimbledon jigsaws to stop play on the same court two hours earlier.

The protesters had reportedly planned to make a scene the previous day, when the Princess of Wales was in attendance, only for rain to stop play.

The incidents on Court 18 came as Suella Braverman, the home secretary, hosted talks in Downing Street with senior sporting and policing figures about protecting events this summer.

🎾✌️ Britney’s Back, Baby — On Court 18 at the @Wimbledon Championships

🎊 Just Stop Oil have disrupted #Wimbledon for the second time today, demanding that the Government immediately halt all new oil and gas in the UK.

🚷 Sign up to take action at https://t.co/7BzUVS02dZpic.twitter.com/3u4usWs36g

— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) July 5, 2023

The match between Boulter, Britain’s No 1 women’s tennis player, and Daria Saville was delayed for eight minutes by the protest. Boulter took the next nine points, winning in straight sets. She said afterwards: “I think I heard the crowd before I saw anything. It was obviously a little bit of a shock to the system. I think we both handled it really well. It’s a really unfortunate situation for everyone.”

William John Ward, 66, a retired civil engineer from Epsom, Surrey, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage. He said in a statement issued by Just Stop Oil: “I don’t like making a racket, but I don’t want my grandchildren, nieces and nephews to suffer.”

Earlier Simon Milner-Edwards, 66, and Deborah Wilde, 68, struck during the match between Sho Shimabukuro and Grigor Dimitrov.

“Obviously it’s not pleasant,” Dimitrov said after his victory. Asked if he felt vulnerable, he replied: “Yes. You’re just out there … you just never know what the person might do.”

A Just Stop Oil protester crashed the match between Katie Boulter and Daria Saville. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images

The Bulgarian said his “first reaction” was to follow the lead of England cricketer Jonny Bairstow, who carried a Just Stop Oil activist off the pitch during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s last week. “Then I … realised that’s not my place to do that,” he said.

The All England Club has dedicated enormous resources in an attempt to prevent such protests. Extra security measures, including full bag checks, led to spectators queuing for up to ten hours on Monday.

The fact that Milner-Edwards, a veteran activist, was able to pass security checks will cause alarm. He was previously arrested for occupying a Shell oil tanker, and again for breaching an injunction banning him and others from demonstrating outside Kingsbury oil terminal in Warwickshire. Milner-Edwards, a retired musician from Manchester, spent nine days in prison on remand after the demonstrations last spring. He was then arrested a third time in Trafalgar Square in October.

Australia's Daria Saville helped pick up the pieces after the protest. Picture: Glyn Kirk/AFP

A spectator who spent six hours in the queue with Milner-Edwards and Wilde said: “They both came [on Tuesday] and they said they had come again because the rain was so bad. [Wilde] had never been to Wimbledon before and said she was not much of a tennis fan.”

The protesters appeared to have another supporter near the umpire who filmed Ward’s stunt. The footage was uploaded to Just Stop Oil’s Twitter account, accompanied by the Britney Spears song Oops! … I Did It Again.

The protesters each used a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle called Centre Court View, launched for last year’s centenary celebrations, which features Roger Federer mid-serve. Wimbledon’s gift shop appeared to have halted sales of the pounds 22 puzzle following the protests.

🧩 Puzzle fans unite 🚨

The 1000-piece Wimbledon puzzle used by Just Stop Oil protestors on Court 18 features Roger Federer and Dusan Lajovic

It's £22 on the #Wimbledon website

It's... also out out stock - bodes well for the rest of the tournament pic.twitter.com/0ItmTKfe9Y

— Michael Hincks (@MichaelHincks) July 5, 2023

The demonstrations were greeted by boos and abuse from large sections of the crowd. Louis Harvey, 30, said: “I just saw the bloke throw some sprinkles and sit on the floor in a yoga pose. It’s disgraceful. We’ve paid a lot of money to get in here … the weather’s not great, and for them to stop play because of that is just disruptive.” Eagan Collins, 30, said: “It’s stupid, they’re not going to win anyone round by doing this.”

Others left disappointed at SW19 were the British players Jodie Burrage, Heather Watson, Arthur Fery and George Loffhagen, who all lost their singles matches.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said all three protesters remained in custody yesterday (Wednesday) evening. Just Stop Oil claims that Wimbledon is a legitimate target for protests because it signed a sponsorship deal with the bank Barclays, which deals with fossil fuel companies.

Sporting chiefs have been urged to take preventive action against individuals associated with the protest group. Among measures discussed at No 10 were new powers that allow injunctions to prevent individuals travelling to certain areas of the country on specified days.

Braverman said: “The protesters at Wimbledon were determined to ruin the day’s play for spectators and sports fans across the world. This is unacceptable. We will be uncompromisingly tough on the selfish protesters intent on spoiling our world-class sporting occasions this summer.”