Drips from above disrupt Malaysia Masters again
Although matches were not postponed or delayed for long periods, play had to be stopped intermittently for mopping as water dripped onto all four courts.
Malaysia Stadium Corporation (PSM) chief executive officer Iliyas Jamil explained that the problem arose from the newly installed roofing, which replaced the previous one after a leakage during the Malaysia Open.
"The droplets are due to condensation from the sprinkler and air-conditioning piping — it's not a leak," said Iliyas.
"It's caused by the difference in temperatures inside the stadium and the hot weather outside. The current roofing system traps air, which leads to condensation."
Iliyas said a temporary fix has been put in place.
"We've started wiping the piping every one to five hours, and for now, it has worked. We'll continue doing this until the end of the tournament and will implement a permanent solution after that."
Mixed doubles Loo Bing Kun-Toh Ee Wei saw their second-round clash against Taiwan's Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan repeatedly interrupted for court mopping.
Despite the setback, Ee Wei said the issue did not affect them significantly during their 19-21, 22-20, 21-18 defeat.
"I wouldn't say it disrupted us because both sides had to deal with it," said Ee Wei.
"We just accepted it, adapted, and focused on finding a way to win — not dwell too much on the court conditions."
While the situation has been temporarily resolved and is not as severe as the roof leak during January's Malaysia Open, which saw matches delayed and even postponed to the next day, the suitability of the Axiata Arena for future tournaments is now in question.
With the venue set to host both the Malaysia Open and Malaysia Masters again next year, the BA of Malaysia (BAM) must carefully reconsider its options, as such issues tarnish the image of two of the World Tour's flagship events.
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