Britain’s Jacob Fearnley was forced off court as play was suspended at the
Madrid Open due to a power outage.
The third-round tie between Fearnley and Grigor Dimitrov had reached a critical stage, Fearnley breaking the 15th seed’s serve to stay in the match, when a loss of power in the local area affected scoreboards and the camera above the court.
The positioning of the camera when it lost power meant the match could not continue even with line judges, as it was stuck in the eyeline of the players.
After remaining on court for some time the pair were eventually taken inside to wait for the issue to be rectified.
Electronic line calling systems were also affected by the power cut, the ATP said, while spectators shared pictures of dark hallways at the Manzanares Park Tennis Centre.
Play was suspended at the Madrid Open when Grigor Dimitrov was leading Fearnley 6-4 5-4
Gigi Salmon, speaking on Sky Sports News, said: “Everyone is in darkness. I walked past the player restaurant and the players are eating much by candlelight so that they can actually see what they’re eating.
“Today we’ve got 16 single matches, two have been completed, it’s approaching 2.30pm in the afternoon and we have three Brits taking to the courts.”
Spectators were stuck in dark hallways at the Manzanares Park Tennis Centre
The blackout caused chaos
Spanish grid operator Red Electrica says it is working with energy companies to restore power.
Parts of the Madrid underground have been evacuated and traffic lights in the city are not working, according to local media, while El Mundo reports thousands of passengers have had to be evacuated after the outage left the metro service in Barcelona without power.
National media reports in Spain say Sevilla and Valencia were also hit by the outage and telephone lines were also down across the country, while parliament in Madrid and metro stations across the country in the dark.
Parts of France also appear to be affected, according to further reports.
In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, the outage hit the capital, Lisbon, and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts of the country.
Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as the US Open in New York, live on Sky Sports in 2025 or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
Leave a Reply