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Power Fault Stops Wimbledon Qualifying After Electronic Line-Calling Failure

Organizers say the outage exposed the tournament’s reliance on automated line calls and they have opened an investigation into whether extreme heat caused the fault.

Overview

  • Play at the Roehampton qualifying site was suspended after a temporary loss of power disabled Wimbledon’s Electronic Line Calling system and players were taken off court, the All England Club said Wednesday.
  • Matches were paused for roughly an hour to 90 minutes while power was restored and the ELC was recalibrated, with play restarting around 1:25–1:30pm and some qualifiers, including Dan Evans, finishing their matches after the delay.
  • The suspension occurred on a day when the Met Office issued a red heat warning for London and temperatures reached the low-to-mid 30s Celsius, prompting Wimbledon to apply its heat-stress rule and withdraw ball kids for welfare reasons.
  • Organizers confirmed the immediate cause was a temporary power loss but said investigators will determine whether the extreme heat directly triggered the outage; the ELC had also shown earlier glitches this week such as silenced audio 'out' calls.
  • The disruption tested contingency procedures at the Roehampton venue and raises operational questions about the tournament’s dependence on automated officiating as the main draw approaches on June 29.