Del Potro's Wimbledon clash halted after woman taken ill

London - Juan Martin del Potro's Wimbledon second round clash with Ernests Gulbis was held up by 25 minutes after a spectator was taken ill in the stands on Thursday.

With searing temperatures hitting 30 degrees on Court Three, a woman appeared to suffer the effects of prolonged exposure to the sun midway through the second set.

Spectators held umbrellas over the woman while ambulance staff came to treat her before a stretcher eventually arrived.

Former US Open champion Del Potro passed a water bottle into the crowd to be given to the woman while he and Gulbis waited for play to resume.

"They're waiting for the stretcher. They need to remove the lady and the paramedics are assessing the situation. Hopefully the lady's going to be ok as well," the umpire told the crowd.

Argentine 29th seed Del Potro, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, had lost the first set 6-4 against Gulbis and was trailing 3-2 in the second before the delay.