04/28/25 10:27:00
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04/28 10:25 CDT Tennis players in the dark as matches at Madrid Open suspended
due to major power outage
Tennis players in the dark as matches at Madrid Open suspended due to major
power outage
By MANU FERNANDEZ and ANDREW DAMPF
Associated Press
MADRID (AP) --- Former U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff was preparing to shower in
a dark locker room after play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was
suspended and then postponed Monday due to a major power outage in Spain and
Portugal.
Then Gauff realized that the water was off, too.
"So I just had to take baby wipes and wipe myself," Gauff said, "and spray some
perfume and call it a day."
Gauff managed to beat Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2 shortly before the outage began.
Then the 2023 U.S. Open champion posted an Instagram story showing only an
emergency light working in an otherwise dark locker room.
The ATP Tour said that two singles matches and one doubles match were underway
when power went out at 12:34 p.m. local time (1034 GMT).
"The cut is preventing the use of electronic line calling systems and also left
a spider cam dangling over the court inside Manolo Santana Stadium," the ATP
added.
The tournament said later that all of the day's matches were postponed "in
order to guarantee general safety."
Grigor Dimitrov was leading Jacob Fearnley 6-4, 5-4 inside the main stadium
when play was stopped. Also, Matteo Arnaldi was leading Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 3-2
when play was suspended. That match later continued --- apparently with manual
line calling --- and Arnaldi won 6-3, 6-4.
The doubles match was also completed and some players were practicing despite
the outage. A a few people remained in the stands to watch.
The outage knocked out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM
machines.
Spanish power distributor Red Elctrica said restoring power to large parts of
the country after the outage could take up to 10 hours.
The company declined to speculate on the causes of the blackout.
Gauff also posted a photo of candles being distributed.
"I don't think we're even going to be able to go back to the hotel because the
traffic lights are out," Gauff said. "It's just crazy how much we depend on
electricity. It's really insane and puts it in perspective."
Another fourth-round women's match was also completed before the blackout:
Mirra Andreeva beat Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-1, 6-4.
Second-ranked Iga Swiatek "sat in the darkened players' lounge, talking with
members of her team," ahead of her scheduled match against Diana Shnaider, the
WTA Tour said.
Swiatek and Shnaider had been scheduled to play in the main stadium after the
Dimitrov-Fearnley match.
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka had been scheduled to play Peyton Stearns later.
___
Dampf reported from Rome.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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