Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- About 30 people were ejected and two were charged by police after clashes between fans chanting Serbian and Bosnian slogans in the latest ethnic violence to mar the Australian Open tennis tournament.

Fans threw chairs at each other in skirmishes at Melbourne Park and jostled again after being thrown out, Victoria Police Inspector Chris Duthie said at a news conference. The charges were for riotous behavior and discharging a missile.

Clashes took place after fans streamed out of a match between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, and Bosnia-born American Amer Delic on the main Rod Laver Arena. This was the third straight year of fan trouble at the event that’s known as the “Happy Slam.”

“It was some verbal abuse between two groups which progressed into a bit of a chair-throwing match,” Duthie told reporters at Melbourne Park. “I believe at this stage they were Serbian and Bosnian. It was probably ethnic rivalry.”

Two years ago, more than 150 people were ejected on the opening day of the tournament after a brawl between supporters wearing Serbian and Croatian soccer shirts. Police used pepper spray on unruly fans on Margaret Court Arena in 2008.

Another person was fined today over the incident, while a woman received a minor injury when a plastic chair struck her, Duthie said. The ejected fans were in their late teens to early 20s, he added.

‘Can’t Control’

The match had been seen as a possible flashpoint, with Delic beforehand appealing for calm on his Web site.

“On both sides I’m sure there were guys that wanted to cause problems,” he said at a news conference today. “There’s only so much we can say. You can’t stop and control everybody. Unfortunately, it happened here today. I’m sure some innocent people might have gotten injured. It’s sad.”

Djokovic declined to comment on the fracas following his four-set victory, only saying that players had no control over the behavior of supporters.

“I am happy when I see that I have my own group of fans that are supporting me in a fair way, of course, not provoking my opponent,” he said.

Also today, a man was charged with offensive behavior after running on court wearing only a T-shirt during a doubles match involving Venus and Serena Williams. Venus smiled during the incident on Court 3, while Serena covered her head with a towel.

Tennis Australia, which runs the tournament, last year introduced a “zero-tolerance” policy toward anti-social behavior following the crowd disturbances in 2007.

Melbourne, Australia’s second most-populous city, has large ethnic communities whose rivalries have previously spilled over into violence at soccer matches.

To contact the reporter on this story: Grant Clark at Melbourne Park at gclark@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 23, 2009 04:49 EST