Madrid Open Suspended After Massive Power Outage Hits Spain and Portugal
- Victor Nwoko
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended on Monday following a widespread power outage that affected large parts of Spain and Portugal. The disruption interrupted multiple matches and impacted the tournament's critical electronic infrastructure.
The ATP Tour confirmed that two singles matches and one doubles match were in progress when the power went out at 12:34 p.m. local time (1034 GMT). The outage disabled the electronic line-calling systems and caused a spider cam to hang precariously above the court inside Manolo Santana Stadium. Grigor Dimitrov was leading Jacob Fearnley 6-4, 5-4 on the main court when play was halted. Matteo Arnaldi was also leading Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 3-2 at the time of the disruption.
Despite the technical challenges, Arnaldi and Dzumhur later resumed their match using manual line-calling methods, with Arnaldi eventually securing a 6-3, 6-4 victory. Meanwhile, some players continued practicing on other courts, and a small number of spectators remained in the stands to watch.
The power outage, which crippled the Madrid Open, also affected public infrastructure across the region, knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights, and ATM machines. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica estimated that restoring power to affected areas could take up to 10 hours, although the company refrained from speculating on the cause of the blackout.
Two fourth-round women’s matches had been completed shortly before the outage struck. Coco Gauff defeated Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2, while Mirra Andreeva overcame Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-1, 6-4. Gauff later posted an Instagram story showing the darkened locker room, illuminated only by emergency lights, noting that there was no power where the showers were located.
Second-ranked Iga Swiatek was seen sitting in the darkened players’ lounge, conversing with her team members ahead of her scheduled match against Diana Shnaider. Swiatek and Shnaider were due to play on the main court following the Dimitrov-Fearnley match. Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka was also scheduled to face Peyton Stearns later in the day.
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