Coco Gauff’s Madrid Open Power Cut Drama: “Baby Wipes did the job|
Former US Open champion Coco Gauff won the match, but what happened after that was no less than a thriller story. Due to a major power outage in the Madrid Open tennis tournament, the entire system shut down – no lights, no line calling system, no spider cam, and no locker room bulb.
Gauff defeated Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2, but after that when she went to take a shower in the locker room, it was completely dark.
“Just cleaned with baby wipes and sprayed perfume and did the job,” Gauff told the media. She also posted a photo on Instagram where only the emergency light was on Power was on.
Effect of Power Cut
Power went out at 12:34 PM, after which the tournament organisers had to suspend the entire play. Both the electronic line calling system and the spider cam went off. Spectators were asked to leave the stadium for safety reasons.
Ongoing Match When Lights Went Down:
Grigor Dimitrov was leading against Jacob Fearnley 6-4, 5-4. Matter Arnaldi vs Damir Dzumhur match was completed manually a little later – Arnaldi won 6-3, 6-4. Players continued to practice despite the power cut, and some people remained sitting in the stadium.
Darkness in whole Spain and Portugal
This blackout affected not only the stadium but also major parts of Spain and Portugal – traffic lights, metro, ATMs, phone lines, everything was shut down. Spanish power company Red Electrica said that it could take up to 10 hours to restore power. The exact reason for the blockout is not yet known.
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Gauff’s reaction: “I don’t think we will be able to go back to the hotel, traffic lights are off in many places.. It’s crazy how much we have become dependent on electricity.”
Mairra Andreeva beat Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-1, 6-4 before the blockout. Iga Swiatek was sitting in the dark lounge with her team, waiting for her match. Aryna Sabalenka vs Peyton Stearns match was also scheduled but got delayed.
