Power Outage Halts Monday Matches at Madrid Open

MADRID, Spain — A widespread power outage disrupted the Madrid Open on Monday, causing the cancellation of all matches for the day. The blackout, which affected large areas of Spain and parts of Portugal, began shortly after noon local time, prompting tournament organizers to prioritize safety.

Initially, the power outage was attributed to issues with the European electric grid, disrupting various public services across the affected regions. Tournament organizers announced the decision to cancel play shortly after the blackout occurred, with safety concerns driving the choice. ‘For reasons beyond the control of the organization and in order to guarantee general safety, the nationwide power cut experienced in Spain on Monday 28 April has forced the cancellation of both the day and night sessions at the Madrid Open,’ read a statement on social media.

Before the power went out, only three matches had been completed. World No. 4 Coco Gauff advanced to the quarter-finals after defeating Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2. Young talent Mirra Andreeva also progressed, beating Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-1, 6-4. A match between Grigor Dimitrov and Jacob Fearnley was ongoing when the outage occurred, leaving Dimitrov leading 6-4, 5-4.

Many players remained in the darkened players’ lounge, including World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, who discussed the situation with her team. ‘It’s frustrating when you are just waiting in the dark,’ Swiatek said. ‘We just want to play.’

As of Tuesday morning, power restoration efforts were underway. Spain’s power grid operator announced that more than 99 percent of power had been restored, and play was scheduled to resume at noon.

The outage also led to widespread disruptions in travel, resulting in the cancellation of dozens of flights in and out of Madrid and Lisbon, with significant transit impacts across the region.