MADRID (AP) — Former U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff faced an unexpected situation at the Madrid Open on Monday when a significant power outage occurred, leading to the suspension and postponement of all activities at the venue. The blackout affected not only the tournament but also a vast number of areas in Spain and Portugal.
Shortly after Gauff's victory over Belinda Bencic with a score of 6-4, 6-2, the power failure struck at 12:34 p.m. local time (1034 GMT). This incident disrupted two ATP singles matches and one doubles match that were in progress. In total, 22 matches had to be canceled on that day due to the outage.
During a post-match interview that was interrupted by the power outage, Gauff reported needing to adapt to the adverse conditions in the locker room. "So I just had to take baby wipes and wipe myself, and spray some perfume and call it a day," she shared, illustrating the challenges athletes faced without running water. She later posted an Instagram story showcasing the dark locker room illuminated only by emergency lights.
The blackout also affected the tournament's operational capabilities, halting the use of electronic line-calling systems and leaving a spider cam dangling above the court in Manolo Santana Stadium. Tournament organizers stated they "had no choice but to suspend/cancel all sporting activity in order to guarantee the safety of the players, fans, and personnel." Spectators were subsequently instructed to leave the sports complex.
Fortunately, power was restored throughout most parts of Madrid by nighttime, allowing organizers to announce that play would resume on Tuesday. Among the matchups scheduled were second-ranked Alexander Zverev, a two-time Madrid Open champion, facing Francisco Cerundolo, as well as Alex de Minaur and Daniil Medvedev also taking to the court. On the women's side, remaining fourth-round matches were set to include top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka against Peyton Stearns and second-ranked Iga Swiatek opposing Diana Shnaider.
Before the power was cut, matches continued without the electronic line-calling system. Grigor Dimitrov was leading Jacob Fearnley 6-4, 5-4 when play was stopped, while Matteo Arnaldi had a lead of 6-3, 3-2 over Damir Dzumhur, who later continued the match with manual line-calling and eventually lost 6-3, 6-4.
The blackout had widespread effects across both countries, paralyzing subway networks, causing communication disruptions, and affecting traffic lights and ATM machines. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica has not commented on the specific cause of the outage, leaving spectators and residents in the dark about the underlying issues.
Gauff expressed her astonishment at how reliant society is on electricity, sharing a photo of candles being distributed among those affected. "It’s just crazy how much we depend on electricity. It’s really insane and puts it in perspective," she remarked.
In a rare bit of action, another fourth-round women’s match was completed before the blackout, with Mirra Andreeva defeating Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-1, 6-4.
Overall, the unprecedented blackout significantly impacted the Madrid Open, amplifying the discussion about dependencies on modern infrastructure and its vulnerability in sudden crises.
