PLAY at Wimbledon wads halted today – when champagne corks suddenly dropped down on court in the middle of a match.

Benoit Paire and Jiri Vesely were going hard at it in their third round clash on Court 18 when two corks flew over the back of spectators and onto the grass.

The pair were exchanging blows in the middle of a rally with the objects interrupted play – much to the amusement of the crowd watching on.

It meant the umpire had to halt the match temporarily, allowing ground-staff to quickly run on and remove the offending objects.

Court 18 is situated just yards from a platform housing several up-market tables where spectators are able to relax with a bottle of fizz.

It is thought the corks were popped off bottles from that area of the All-England Club, with the seating nestled between Court 18 and the newly-roofed Court One.

For on the other side of 18 is the huge broadcasting building housing BBC and overseas television stations, which a roof-terrace allowing those in that area to watch play.

The match between Frenchman Paire and Czech qualifier Vesely was tied at a set-apiece at the time of the bizarre interruption.

This year's Wimbledon has seen crowds entertained on court, with Nick Kyrgios even throwing in two under-arm serves in his thrilling clash with Rafa Nadal.

Fans had been hoping for the rare chance of seeing Andy Murray and Serena Williams on the outside courts after they decided to link up to form a mixed doubles partnership.

But tournament bosses have decided that due to the huge interest in the pair, it is only safe enough to stage their first round match tonight on one of the show courts.

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