A chair umpire at the Miami Open almost fell from his perch when a spider-cam tangled with his chair during Daniil Medvedev's match against Francisco Cerúndolo. The incident caused a brief halt in play on Stadium Court. Cerúndolo went on to upset the No. 9 seed 6-0, 4-6, 7-5.
The Miami Open faced further disruptions when chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani reacted in panic as the spider-cam wires snagged on his chair during the round-of-32 clash between Daniil Medvedev and Francisco Cerúndolo. The malfunction occurred at 2-3 in the third set on Stadium Court, prompting Lahyani to shout, “One second! Wait there!” as he hurriedly climbed down to the court. Both players, sensing danger, stepped away from the baseline—Medvedev walking toward the chair with concern, and Cerúndolo also approaching to check the situation. ATP supervisor Gerry Armstrong rushed on court alongside an attendant to move the chair aside. Lahyani could be heard saying, “It’s dangerous,” during the tense moment, as noted by commentator Mikey Perera. Naomi Broady added that the wire had caught on the back of the chair, giving Lahyani “a bit of a fright.” Jonathan Overend described the spider-cam as a “big old heavy bit of kit” that could have been “very nasty.” Cameras showed officials resolving the issue, with the crowd cheering once the camera moved away and calm returned. Play resumed briefly, but Lahyani had to descend again to measure the net after Medvedev noticed it had shifted. Despite the interruptions, Cerúndolo held firm, saving a break point and eventually defeating Medvedev 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 for another upset at the tournament. On the women's side, Victoria Mboko's match against Mirra Andreeva on Butch Buchholz Court paused early due to a broken net, confirmed by chair umpire Marija Cicak. After repairs, Mboko won 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-0. The event has already seen weather delays and schedule shifts from Hard Rock Stadium.
