Play at the Madrid Open came to an unexpected halt Monday after a widespread power outage across Spain and Portugal.
The disruption, which struck at 12:34 p.m. local time (CEST), forced a suspension of two singles matches and one doubles match at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Power loss left electronic line-calling systems inoperable and left a spider cam dangling above the court at the Manolo Santana Stadium, where Grigor Dimitrov was leading Jacob Fearnley 6-4, 5-4 when play was interrupted.
Dimitrov, ranked 16th in the ATP, had a match point at 5-2 in the second set but was forced to leave the court when the power cut struck.
Fearnley had been fighting back, reclaiming the break to stay alive in the match as the two players awaited the restoration of power.
Meanwhile, Matteo Arnaldi, fresh off his upset of Novak Djokovic, was building on his momentum with a 6-3, 3-2 lead against Damir Dzumhur when the match was suspended.
The power outage not only affected the matches but also caused significant disruptions throughout Madrid.
Fourth seed Coco Gauff, who had just defeated Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals, was giving a post-match interview at the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium when the microphone lost power, cutting her interview short.
Fans also shared images of dark hallways at the Manzanares Park Tennis Center as they navigated through the venue.
Fans on-site were left in confusion as the blackout spread to other parts of Madrid, affecting traffic lights, airports, and even parts of the underground system.
Siobhan Baker, a British fan at the tournament, described how the darkness affected their experience: “We went out to grab a drink, thinking it was just a temporary issue. When we returned, the lights were still out, and even the toilets weren’t working for a while.”
ATP officials confirmed that two singles matches and one doubles match were ongoing when the outage occurred. In a statement, the ATP assured that efforts were underway to restore power and resume play.
With the power yet to be restored, hopes remain high that big matches like Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Lorenzo Musetti and Jack Draper vs. Matteo Berrettini will proceed when play resumes after 4:30 p.m. local time.