Wild scenes at the Italian Open saw a quarter-final match suspended for nearly 20 minutes because of the nearby Coppa Italia final. Inter Milan defeated Lazio 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome thanks to an Adam Murisic own goal and Lautaro Martinez’s strike. Inter had already been crowned Serie A champions earlier this month with three games to go. And their cup triumph to complete a domestic double came just a few hundred metres away from Foro Italico, where the city’s tennis tournament is played.
Celebrations of Inter’s win led to the Campo Centrale centre court being engulfed in smoke from the fireworks let off inside the football stadium. Before long, the entire complex on the slopes of Monte Mario was shrouded in fog. Jodar led 6-5, 15-0 in the first set before the smoke from the fireworks became so thick that the electronic line-calling system malfunctioned at the Masters 1000 event.
Visibility was heavily hampered and Darderi refused to continue playing with the white lines on the red clay barely visible. It was an unprecedented situation with no tennis matches in recent history being halted by a ‘smoke delay’.
Eventually, Jodar and Darderi returned to the court to begin hitting the ball to test the line-calling system as the smoke cleared.
The match was suspended for 18 minutes before the two players resumed with Darderi serving to stay in the set. The Italian, much to the delight of the remaining spectators, ultimately took the first set 7-6 after a tiebreak which concluded at quarter past midnight local time.