A nationwide power outage has led to the suspension of play for the day at the Madrid Open. Tournament organizers confirmed there would be no further action on Monday “to ensure general safety.”
The outage, which began around midday local time, has affected large parts of Spain and Portugal, disrupting public transport, card payments, and mobile networks. While power is gradually being restored in some areas, the impact continues.
Portuguese energy provider REN stated that the power failure was triggered by a “rare” atmospheric phenomenon linked to temperature variations.
Among those affected was Britain’s Jacob Fearnley, who had been battling Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in a third-round match.
Fearnley saved a match point and was serving at 4-6, 4-5 when the power cut struck.
This halted the electronic line-calling system, which had replaced line judges, and also stopped the scoreboards from working.
After a brief delay, the umpire announced that play would resume, with him making line calls manually.
However, the spider camera overhead became stuck in the players’ line of sight, further complicating the situation.
Following additional discussion, the umpire escorted the players back to the locker rooms.
Spain’s electricity grid operator, Red Eléctrica, confirmed the outages across the country and assured that efforts to restore power were underway.
In Madrid, traffic lights malfunctioned, and the metro system had to be evacuated. Portugal experienced similar power disruptions.
Fearnley is one of three British players in the third round at the Madrid Open. Cameron Norrie is set to face Canada’s Gabriel Diallo, while Britain’s number one, Jack Draper, will play Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.
