ATP Chair Umpire Mohamed Lahyani Beats the Blackout at Madrid Open
However, one match found a way forward thanks to the quick thinking and adaptability of legendary chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani. During the match between Italy's Matteo Arnaldi and Bosnia's Damir Dzumhur, Lahyani took full control — manually calling lines and keeping the score himself, ensuring that play could continue despite the technical chaos.
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Arnaldi managed to close out the match in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Yet, due to the power failure, the result is not officially recognized on the ATP website for now. Typically, match results are entered directly through the chair umpire's tablet, which was rendered useless during the outage.
Despite the extraordinary circumstances, Lahyani's old-school officiating kept the spirit of the tournament alive. His heroics offered a reminder of a time before tennis became so reliant on technology — and earned him plenty of praise from players and fans alike.
Fans all around the world were left confused after a few platforms showed that the match had been suspended while others showed that the match had completed. Multiple tennis fans looked for confirmation on social media, and finally it looked like ATP acknowledged the completion of the match.
This unusual day at the Madrid Open will be remembered not just for the blackout, but also for Lahyani's quick thinking.
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