The audience evacuated in a panic! There was a widespread power outage in Madrid, and players waited in the dark

Yesterday, the Madrid Open was severely affected by a sudden and massive power outage in Spain, and the match was interrupted, and top players such as Swiatek and Sabalenka had to wait on the sidelines, and the scene was plunged into darkness and the crowd evacuated in panic.

On Monday, April 28, widespread power outages occurred across much of Spain, Portugal and southern France, directly affecting the Madrid Open, an ongoing ATP and WTA 1000 tournament.

During the match, all electronic systems in the Caja Magica stadium in Parque Manzanares suddenly failed. Only Gauff and Andreeva managed to complete the race and advance, while the likes of Dimitrov, Feinli, Dzuch and Arnaldi were suspended in the middle of the match.

At the Manolo Santana Stadium and the Arancha Sánchez Stadium, many spectators were quickly evacuated after a power outage, but many had to rely on mobile phone lighting due to the darkness in the stadiums, and staff actively assisted spectators to leave the stadium safely.

The catastrophic power outage was reported due to a grid failure. In addition to the Madrid Open, several airports, train stations and other important public facilities in Spain, Portugal and France have also been affected.

As of 15:45 p.m. local time, nearly three hours after the power outage, the event has not been restored. The official Madrid Open issued a statement on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), saying that it is actively working to restore order and will keep fans updated on the latest developments through official channels.

The official statement was released at 1:57 p.m.: "Affected by a large-scale power outage across the country, we are working to restore normal order as soon as possible. Please check our social media platforms for the latest information. ”

Coincidentally, shortly before the blackout, Gauff defeated Bencic 6-4 6-2 to advance to the quarter-finals. During the post-match interview, she was on the field for an interview when the microphone suddenly failed, causing silence and Gauff's confused expression. The interview was interrupted, and it was later confirmed that the cause was caused by a total power outage at the venue.

Gauff will face Andreeva in the quarter-finals, with both men advancing before the power outage. Defending champion Swiatek is still waiting to face Schneider at Santana, with the winner facing either Keys or Vekic.

Top seed Sabalenka is also scheduled to play yesterday against Stearns, with the winner set to face either Potapova or Kostyuk. Sabalenka is aiming to win her third title at the Madrid Open, having failed to defend her title last year after losing to Swiatek in the final.

Finally, due to the ongoing power outage, the day's event has been officially cancelled. "Due to force majeure and for public safety reasons, a nationwide power outage in Spain on Monday, April 28, forced us to cancel all of today's daytime and evening schedules," the organizing committee said in a statement. ”(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)