Tennis enthusiasts and commentators were left in disbelief at the Miami Open due to absurd scenes where the court lights couldn`t be activated.
The skies over Florida darkened around lunchtime, foreshadowing impending rain.
On the main showcourt, situated within the Miami Dolphins` Hard Rock Stadium, Gael Monfils and Sebastian Korda decided it was too dark to proceed with their round of 16 match.
Initially, it seemed like a simple matter of switching on the floodlights to resume play.
However, it resulted in a 13-minute delay at 1-1 in the decisive third set as tournament organizers struggled to get the lights working.
Chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani attempted to resolve the issue via walkie-talkie.
After a nearly nine-minute pause, he was informed that it would take an additional five minutes for the lights to illuminate.
Sky Sports Tennis commentator Jonathan Overend described the chaotic situation as “really embarrassing” and later exclaimed “it`s a joke” as the problem persisted.
Tennis fans on social media also expressed their outrage at the Miami Open for the embarrassing mistake.
One fan vented: “This light delay at the Miami Open makes no sense. It’s 1pm in the afternoon. What are we doing? A 10-minute delay is just going to tighten up 40-year-old Monfils. There`s always something.”
Another critic wrote: “Ridiculous delay waiting for the lights to come on in the Korda-Monfils match. Totally inefficient and slowing down the match.”
A final user lamented: “What a joke the @miamiopen is! Court change fiasco over the weekend and now they can`t even flip a light switch.”
In a surprising turn, Korda was then permitted to take a toilet break, and while he was off-court, the lights finally came on.
Consequently, Monfils had to wait for the American player to return before play could resume.
With rain approaching, they only managed to play five more games before drizzle began.
Ironically, Korda, brother of world No. 1 golfer Nelly Korda, broke serve to lead 4-3 and then required a medical time-out for his right wrist.
As he received treatment from the medic, rain started to fall, and play was suspended once more.
Lahyani determined the court was safe, and the match continued.
However, on the first point of the 4-3 game, Monfils slipped on the increasingly slippery surface, making it clear that a break was necessary as the rain intensified.
As they gathered their belongings and sought shelter, Korda displayed commendable sportsmanship by agreeing to replay the point due to the hazardous conditions.
