Swiatek Battles through to Madrid Open Quarterfinals
In the aftermath of a Spain-wide power outage cancelling most of Monday's action at the Caja Magica, the lights were back on Tuesday morning, allowing matches to kick off at midday.
Iga Swiatek, the 23-year-old Polish star, secured a thrilling two-hour, 34-minute victory against Russian left-hander Daria Kasatkina, advancing to a quarterfinal clash with Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion. Swiatek saved 11 out of 13 break points she faced in the match, showing resilience under pressure.
When asked about the power disruption, Swiatek admitted she found the break from technology quite enjoyable. "Honestly, I liked yesterday. The whole world seemed more chilled, even though I realize not everyone benefited from this," she shared. "Luckily, the sun sets late in Madrid, so they restored power in our area once it got dark. I used the time to unwind without worrying about what I should be doing. There was no phone signal, so nobody was on their phones. It was peaceful."
On the men's side, Grigor Dimitrov managed to finish off a 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) win over Jacob Fearnley, converting his third match point over 27 hours after the first. The match had been suspended on Monday with Dimitrov leading 6-4, 5-4. Resuming on Tuesday, both players held serve before Dimitrov claimed the tie-break. "Life can change so quickly, as this situation shows," Dimitrov said. "Despite the inconvenience, I view these experiences as learning opportunities. Growing up, blackouts were common in my hometown, so I took it in stride."
Sixth-seeded Alex de Minaur advanced past Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) and awaits either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Lorenzo Musetti in the round of 16. De Minaur compared the blackout to a break from technology, finding it an interesting experience. "It's good to be disconnected occasionally," he said, expressing his relief that the incident seems to have passed without major incidents.
American 11th seed Tommy Paul overcome Russian 24th seed Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, while Frances Tiafoe, the 16th seed, defeated Alexandre Muller 6-3, 6-3 to set up a fourth-round match against Matteo Arnaldi, who earlier knocked out Novak Djokovic. Both Tiafoe and Muller were among those stranded at the Caja Magica for hours due to traffic. They relied on snacks like Pringles and orange juice or chocolate and water until they could leave. "It was a bizarre experience, hanging out with everyone in the same situation. It's a reminder of how interconnected we've become. We just took it for what it was," Tiafoe commented.
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A Humorous Take on the Power Outage:
Players at the Madrid Open stepped up to make light of the power outage that halted play, offering amusing commentary on the situation. Katie Boulter jokingly called out her fiancé, Alex de Minaur, for poor communication during the outage. Coco Gauff humorously remarked on the surreal timing of the blackout during her post-match interview, stating, "Put this in the history books. In all seriousness, I hope everyone stays safe"[2][3]. De Minaur eventually joked on social media that he had been "off the grid" but quickly regained service to check on the rest of the world, leading to a playful exchange that went viral[5].
Iga Swiatek found a silver lining in the power outage, sharing that the break from technology was enjoyable. "Honestly, I liked yesterday," she said. On the other hand, Frances Tiafoe, stranded at the Caja Magica for hours due to traffic, humorously recalled the "bizarre experience" of hanging out with other players, commenting, "We just took it for what it was." Meanwhile, Alex de Minaur, who advanced in the tournament despite the outage, jokingly claimed he had been "off the grid" but quickly checked back in on the rest of the world.
