Tennis enthusiasts and commentators expressed their anger at the Miami Open due to comical scenes where the stadium lights failed to turn on.
The sky over Florida became increasingly dark around lunchtime as rain approached.
On the main court at the Miami Dolphins` Hard Rock Stadium, Gael Monfils and Sebastian Korda decided it was too dark to proceed with their match.
Initially, it seemed like a simple matter of switching on the lights.
However, it resulted in a 13-minute delay at 1-1 in the final set as tournament officials struggled to get the lights working.
The umpire, Mohamed Lahyani, tried to understand the situation using his walkie-talkie.
After a nine-minute halt, he was informed it would take another five minutes for the lights to come on.
Commentator Jonathan Overend from Sky Sports Tennis described the situation as "really embarrassing" and later called it "a joke" as the problem persisted.
Tennis fans on social media also criticized the Miami Open for the embarrassing mistake.
One fan exclaimed: "This light delay at the Miami Open is ridiculous. It’s 1pm in the afternoon. What are we doing? This delay will only benefit Monfils, who is 40 years old."
Another commented: "Ridiculous delay while they wait for the lights to turn on during the Korda-Monfils match. Completely inefficient and disrupting the game."
One more user complained: "What a joke the @miamiopen is! First the court changes over the weekend, and now they can`t even operate a light switch."
Surprisingly, Korda was then permitted a toilet break, and during his absence, the lights finally came on.
This meant Monfils had to wait for Korda to return before play could resume.
With rain approaching, they managed to play only five more games before drizzle started.
Ironically, Korda broke serve to lead 4-3 but then required a medical time-out for his right wrist.
As he received treatment, the rain began, and play was suspended again.
Lahyani considered the court safe, and they continued playing.
However, in the first point of the 4-3 game, Monfils slipped on the wet surface, making it clear a break was necessary as the rain intensified.
As they left the court, Korda displayed good sportsmanship by agreeing to replay the point due to the dangerous conditions.
