Power Cut Brings Madrid Open to a Standstill

The Madrid Open was brought to a halt due to a widespread power cut affecting Spain. Read more about the disruption.

A massive power outage hit the Madrid Open on Monday, forcing the cancellation of play, including the match between Grigor Dimitrov and Jacob Fearnley. The round of 32 match at Manolo Santana Stadium was suspended with Dimitrov leading 6-4, 5-4 due to a spidercam malfunction and electronic line-calling system failure.

The power outage affected not only the stadium but also parts of Spain and Portugal, causing widespread disruptions to traffic lights, subway networks, phone lines, and ATM machines. Spanish power operator Red Eléctrica reported that restoring power could take up to 10 hours.

Widespread power outages in large parts of Spain, Portugal and France have left play at the Madrid Open suspended and fans in the dark 👀

As of now, it's unclear what caused the blackout.pic.twitter.com/HDtGIzmZYE

— DW Sports (@dw_sports) April 28, 2025

Fourth seed Coco Gauff had already completed her match, beating Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals. However, her post-match interview was cut short due to the power outage, and she later shared a photo of the dark locker room, joking about using baby wipes to shower.

Other matches affected include Matteo Arnaldi vs. Damir Dzumhur, which was suspended with Arnaldi leading 6-3, 3-2, and Mirra Andreeva's win over Yuliia Starodubtseva, 6-1, 6-4. Upcoming matches, such as Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Lorenzo Musetti and Iga Swiatek vs. Diana Shnaider, have been canceled for the day.

A nationwide power cut in Spain forced the cancellation of both day and night sessions at the Madrid Open. The tournament posted on social media, “The nationwide power cut experienced in Spain on Monday 28 April has forced the cancellation of both the day and night sessions.”

Fourth seed Coco Gauff's post-match interview was cut short due to the power outage. Gauff had just defeated Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals. The ATP noted that electronic line-calling systems were also affected.

The power loss occurred at 12:34 p.m. local time, with two singles matches and one doubles match underway. The ATP reported, “Two singles matches and one doubles match at the ATP Masters 1000 event were underway when power was lost at 12:34 p.m. local time.” Spectators shared images of dark hallways at the Manzanares Park Tennis Center.

Top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek had their round of 16 matches postponed due to the power outage. Marta Kostyuk humorously commented on the situation, writing “WTA 1000, and 1000 candles” on an Instagram story after her match with Anastasia Potapova was also postponed.

Matteo Arnaldi's match against Damir Dzumhur was temporarily suspended due to the power cut but later resumed, with Arnaldi winning 6-3, 6-4.

The power outage had far-reaching effects beyond the tennis tournament, disrupting traffic lights, oil refineries, airports, and parts of the Madrid underground. Spanish power grid operator Red Electrica worked with energy companies to restore power.