Madrid Open Returns After Blackout, Swiatek and De Minaur Win

Iga Swiatek and Alex de Minaur advance at Madrid Open after power outage, Swiatek defeats Shnaider, De Minaur beats Shapovalov.

Defending champion Iga Swiatek advanced to the Madrid Open quarterfinals, defeating 13th-seeded Diana Shnaider 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-4.

The match followed a nationwide blackout that halted play at the Caja Magica on Monday, but power was restored Tuesday morning, allowing matches to resume by 12pm. Swiatek saved 11 of 13 break points in her two-hour 34-minute victory, setting up a quarterfinal showdown with Madison Keys.

Swiatek reflected on the power outage, saying, “Honestly, I liked yesterday, I think the whole world was more relaxed kind of, obviously the people who didn't lose because of this. I had time to rest.”

“It's good that in Madrid the sun is setting pretty late. As soon as it got down and it was dark, they put the energy back in our area.

Iga Swiatek with that consistency 💅#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/VPrBDGFJLZ

— TENNIS (@Tennis) April 29, 2025

“Honestly, I just chilled and used the time not thinking about what I should do. There was no signal so basically no one used their phones. It was nice, I liked it.”

Sixth-seeded Alex de Minaur advanced to the round of 16, defeating Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6(3), and now awaits the winner of Stefanos Tsitsipas or Lorenzo Musetti. De Minaur's 24th win of the season ties him with Carlos Alcaraz for the most victories on tour in 2025.

“It was definitely something different,” De Minaur said of the blackout. “It gives you a new perspective on your every day, how in tune you are with technology nowadays. At least for me, I enjoyed having a little bit of time off the grid. So it was quite fine.”

De Minaur added, “I'm glad it seems everything has been sorted out. It could have been quite dangerous for a lot of people, so I'm glad we're kind of past it and we can move on.”

American 11th seed Tommy Paul defeated Russian 24th seed Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Meanwhile, 16th seed Frances Tiafoe beat Alexandre Muller 6-3, 6-3 and will face Matteo Arnaldi, who defeated Novak Djokovic.