Blackout disrupts Chile Open: Two semifinalists could be set before favorites Tabilo and Baez even play

A peculiar situation unfolded at the Chile Open after a massive blackout hit Santiago and much of the South American country. Local player Tomás Barrios was losing the first set to Argentina’s Federico Coria on Central Court when the session was suspended.

The tournament facilities had backup generators, so power remained on at Jaime Fillol Court. With a few hours of daylight still available, it was decided to continue playing matches despite the lack of television broadcast.

Matches like Hugo Gaston vs. Tomás Etcheverry (Central Court Jaime Fillol) and Corentin Moutet vs. Damir Džumhur (Court 1) continued at San Carlos de Apoquindo.

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However, much of the sports complex was affected, forcing the session to be canceled a couple of hours later while Federico Coria was leading 6-1 against Barrios. Chilean authorities declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew from 10 pm to 6 am the following day, leading to the evacuation of spectators and athletes.

“As a tournament, we are aware of the emergency developing in the country and the state of constitutional exception decreed by the government, which will take effect at 10 pm,” the tournament wrote in a statement. “By instruction of the authorities, we suspend the match and evacuate the venue.”

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Several matches remained unfinished. In addition to Coria vs. Barrios, the match between Francisco Comesaña and Felipe Meligeni was interrupted just minutes after the Argentine took the lead in the first set (7-6, 1-2). A few doubles matches were also postponed, forcing the tournament to reshuffle all courts to maintain the previously planned schedule.

The quarterfinals were originally set to start on Thursday, but by Wednesday, the first round had not even concluded. Four Round of 16 matches are expected to be played on Wednesday, with another four on Thursday morning.

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As a result, several players will have to play two matches in a single day, including local favorite Alejandro Tabilo (2nd seed) and defending champion Sebastian Baez (3rd). Neither has made their tournament debut yet. Since both Tabilo and Báez are scheduled for the night session, it is possible that some semifinal spots could already be decided before they even play their first match.

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