Back in 2012, Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga walked onto the Qatar Open final court only for thick fog and a dangerously slippery surface to freeze the showdown in chaos. Organizers stunned the crowd by announcing play would be halted “for a while” over serious safety fears. Now, years later, tennis witnessed another bizarre interruption as wild smoke from the Coppa Italia final swallowed visibility during Rafael Jodar and Luciano Darderi’s quarter-final clash.

Wild scenes unfolded at the Italian Open when the match was suspended for nearly 20 minutes because of smoke drifting from the nearby Coppa Italia final. The soccer match was taking place only around 500 meters away from the tennis venue in Rome.

Inter Milan defeated Lazio 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to an Adam Murisic own goal and a strike from Lautaro Martinez. Inter had already secured the Serie A title earlier in the month with three matches remaining.

The celebrations quickly spilled beyond the stadium walls. The Stadio Olimpico sits only a short distance away from Foro Italico, where the Italian Open takes place every year. As Inter supporters celebrated the triumph, fireworks exploded into the Roman night sky.

Those fireworks soon caused unexpected chaos at the tennis tournament. Thick smoke drifted across the Campo Centrale center court and slowly covered the entire complex on the slopes of Monte Mario. Within minutes, visibility became a serious issue for both players and officials.

Rafael Jodar was leading 6-5, 15-0 in the opening set against Luciano Darderi when the situation worsened dramatically. The smoke became so dense that the electronic line-calling system at the Masters 1000 event stopped functioning properly. Officials suddenly faced a completely unprecedented problem.

Visibility on the court became heavily affected, especially with the white lines on the red clay surface becoming difficult to spot. Darderi refused to continue under those conditions because he could barely see the court. The smoke was not only affecting the players but also interfering with the tournament cameras and electronic systems.

Officials eventually suspended the match as technicians attempted to reset the electronic line-calling system. It marked a bizarre moment because no recent tennis match had ever faced what could genuinely be described as a “smoke delay.” Fans inside the stadium watched in disbelief as the strange scene unfolded.

Darderi repeatedly complained that he could not see properly through the smoke hanging over the court. The visibility problems created frustration for both competitors, especially during such an important stage of the tournament.

The 24-year-old Darderi, who was even seen drinking coffee during some of the changeovers, returned strongly once play resumed. He immediately secured a break early in the second set and looked ready to take control of the match. His energy remained impressive despite the late-night conditions.

Jodar, however, refused to surrender quietly. The young Spaniard broke back and managed to save two match points before leveling the contest.

The match itself had been suspended for 18 minutes before play finally restarted with Darderi serving to stay in the set. The Italian eventually edged the opening set 7-6 after a tense tiebreak. The first set alone concluded at around quarter past midnight local time.

The drama still had plenty left to offer after midnight. At 1.10 am local time, Darderi again held two match points in a grueling second set. However, Jodar saved both opportunities before breaking serve and eventually taking the set 7-5 to level the match.

Earlier in that same set, Darderi had led 3-0, 40-15, and appeared to have complete control. But the momentum shifted dramatically as the match stretched deeper into the night. Many exhausted spectators began leaving the stadium after realizing the encounter might not finish before 2 am.

Despite the collapse in the second set, Darderi responded brilliantly in the decider. The Italian dominated completely and delivered a third-set bagel to finally secure victory at 2.02 am local time. The exhausting match lasted three hours and eight minutes, excluding the smoke delay, as Darderi won 7-6, 5-7, 6-0.

After advancing to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semifinal, Darderi called the victory the best moment of his career so far. He admitted the conditions and late start made everything far more difficult than expected, while also praising his opponent’s quality. 

“Yeah, it was difficult because we started around 11, and the court was very slow. Rafa is an amazing player. He’s so young, just 19 years old. I had my chances in the 2nd set, but then he played just amazing. I just kept fighting, and I’m very happy about that,” Darderi said.

Now, the No. 18 seed will face Casper Ruud, the tournament’s No. 23 seed, in the semifinals of the Italian Open. Yet while Darderi moves forward in Rome, the unforgettable smoke-filled scenes have already carved their place into tennis folklore, recalling another bizarre interruption from years ago.

Ben Shelton and Andrey Rublev’s Swiss Indoors clash halted amid fog chaos

Back in 2024, tennis fans witnessed one of the strangest scenes of the season during the Swiss Indoors quarter-final between Ben Shelton and Andrey Rublev. The match was suspended before it could even properly begin because fog suddenly filled the indoor court.

Both players had completed their warm-up routines normally and appeared ready to start the match. But instead of moving into position for the opening point, Shelton and Rublev unexpectedly returned to their benches.

Commentators soon spotted a visible cloud of smoke and mist lingering above the court. The bizarre scene confused many spectators, especially because the issue appeared inside an indoor venue.

Shelton tried to deal with the situation himself in a humorous way. The American began waving his towel through the air in an effort to clear the fog from the court. Despite his effort, the play still could not begin immediately.

Chair umpire Arnaud Gabas quickly addressed the crowd once the delay became unavoidable. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re going to wait a little bit for the start of the match before the smoke is gone.”

Shelton then added another memorable moment by joking with the umpire during the delay. “What do you think would happen if we start doing all the towels like this?” he said while swaying his towel dramatically through the air.

Although Shelton’s towel trick did little to solve the problem, the crowd appreciated his effort. Fans responded with loud applause while Rublev watched the scene unfold and chuckled from his seat. Shelton eventually gave up but still joked that the idea might work if 10 people tried together.

After an eight-minute delay, the fog finally cleared enough for the match to begin. The second match of the day at the Swiss Indoors eventually got underway without further interruptions.

Now, a similar kind of bizarre interruption has appeared once again in tennis, this time at the Italian Open in Rome. With smoke and visibility issues disrupting play under the night sky, attention now shifts back toward the remaining quarter-final clashes and the WTA semifinal matches scheduled for today.

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