Tournament organisers announced that no further matches would take place "in order to guarantee general safety." The blackout, which struck large parts of Spain and Portugal around midday local time, disrupted public transport systems, card payments, and mobile networks. Although power is gradually being restored in some areas, significant disruptions continue.
Portuguese energy company REN attributed the blackout to a "rare" atmospheric phenomenon linked to temperature fluctuations.
Among those impacted by the sudden suspension was Britain's Jacob Fearnley. Fearnley was deep in a tense third-round match against Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov when the outage struck. Having just saved a match point, he was preparing to serve to stay in the contest, trailing 6-4, 5-4, when play on the main court was halted.
The widespread power failure caused key tournament technologies, including the electronic line-calling system and scoreboards, to stop functioning. Initially, officials attempted to continue the match, with the umpire manually making line calls. However, further complications arose when the spider camera, which hangs close over the court, became immobilized and obstructed players' views. After further consultation, the umpire led both players off the court and back to the locker rooms.
Spain's national electricity operator, Red Eléctrica, confirmed the extensive outages and said efforts were ongoing to fully restore the grid.
The disruption also caused wider chaos across Madrid and other major cities. Traffic lights were reportedly down, and parts of the city's underground railway system had to be evacuated. Portugal experienced similar issues, with significant transport and communication breakdowns reported.
The unexpected halt has affected the day's schedule, with several matches now in limbo. Scotland's Fearnley was one of three British men scheduled to play third-round matches in Madrid on Monday. Cameron Norrie was set to face Canada's Gabriel Diallo, while British number one Jack Draper was preparing for his clash against Italy's Matteo Berrettini.
It remains unclear how the tournament will adjust the schedule to accommodate the delayed matches once power is fully restored.
