Clare Balding was forced to intervene when a second-round match at Queen's Club was halted due to a technical malfunction. Francisco Cerundolo faced Jenson Brooksby in the final encounter on the Andy Murray Arena when play was interrupted during the second game after a localised power cut caused the electronic line-calling technology to fail.
Power Cut Halts Play
Chair umpire James Keothavong instructed the players to "stop for a few minutes" before confirming a power issue. Balding explained to viewers that this was a significant problem because the ATP Tour uses automated line-calling, meaning no line judges were present to make calls.
"They've got an issue with power. As you heard, James Keothavong say, there is an issue with power on court, and also in our commentary box, a localised power cut here at Queen's. Andrew Castle is alongside me, luckily, no problems with your power," she stated.
Castle responded: "I didn't start with any, so that's fine! Can't do without what you don't have. I wonder what that is, maybe a generator out the back or something like that."
Tournament Referee Steps In
Tournament referee Denise Parnell made her way to the court while the players remained seated. Cerundolo had claimed a break in the first game and was serving at 1-0, 40-15 when play was suspended. With no line judges on court, the only option was to ask Keothavong to handle line calls if the power issues persisted.
"Well, line calls are now automated; there are no line judges out there, so does that mean that the system isn't working either?" Balding enquired. Castle responded: "Yeah, it will be down to James Keothavong to call the ball from the umpire's chair."
After a brief interruption, play resumed, with seventh seed Cerundolo quickly holding serve to move 2-0 ahead.
Other Incidents at Queen's
This wasn't the only disruption on Wednesday. British wildcard Arthur Fery was forced to pause his match after suffering a nosebleed. The world No. 140 was about to receive Adrian Mannarino's serve at 1-1 in the second set when he realised his nose was bleeding and alerted the umpire before heading to his bench. The physiotherapist was called onto the court, and play resumed roughly five minutes later. Fery went on to claim a 7-6(7) 6-4 victory, his third against a top-50 opponent, to advance to his first ATP Tour quarter-final. He will face either Cerundolo or Brooksby in the next round.
Another incident occurred on the BBC as the broadcaster was forced to cut an interview with Corentin Moutet at Queen's after he swore seven times during the live transmission. Commentator Jenny Drummond apologised to viewers, stating: "OK. Corentin, we need to improve that for the next round. Apologies everyone. Corentin Moutet."
