Watch: Poisonous snake interrupts Australia tennis tournament match

A video of the Brisbane International tennis qualifying match between Dominic Thiem and James McCabe getting stopped because of a poisonous snake invasion is going viral on social media.

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The match was suspended for 40 minutes on Saturday after a poisonous snake slithered courtside.

James McCabe had just wrapped up the first set 6-2 against the Austrian 2020 US Open champion when the reptile — reportedly an eastern brown snake — was spotted among electrical wires on the side of the court in front of spectators.

Play was halted until a snake catcher arrived and managed to tease it into a bag.

You cannot make this up: a 50cm eastern brown snake — considered the second most venomous snake in the world — interrupted the Thiem-McCabe qualifying battle in Brisbane 😳

(video via Lblklk on Reddit) pic.twitter.com/QI5izBr6HN

— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) December 30, 2023

Eastern browns are capable of delivering a potent bite and their venom can result in progressive paralysis and uncontrollable bleeding, according to the website of the Australian Museum.

Australia is home to 20 of the world’s 25 most venomous, but deaths from bites are rare. Dominic Thiem eventually won the match to move within one victory of the main draw.