Umpire Almost Falls to Ground After Spider Cam Cable Tangles with His Chair During Daniil Medvedev’s Miami Clash

Francisco Cerundolo knocked out Daniil Medvedev to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open for the fourth time.

Umpire Almost Falls to Ground After Spider Cam Cable Tangles with His Chair During Daniil Medvedev’s Miami Clash

The Spider cam cable entangled with umpire Mohamed Lahyani's during Daniil Medvedev versus Francisco Cerundolo match (Image via X/Quindici Zero, Jose Morgado)

In Short
  • Daniil Medvedev's match at the Miami Open was interrupted when the spider cam cable tangled with umpire Mohamed Lahyani's chair.
  • Lahyani narrowly avoided falling as others held the platform during the incident.
  • Francisco Cerundolo defeated Medvedev 6-0, 4-6, 7-5, marking his first top 10 win of the season.

Daniil Medvedev‘s Miami Open campaign ended on Monday (March 23). His with Francisco Cerundolo on Stadium was stopped for a while thanks to the cable of the spider cam.

At 2-3 in the third set, umpire Mohamed Lahyani stopped Medvedev from serving as the cable of the spider cam suddenly entangled with his chair, making it wobble due to its force. Lahyani almost avoided a disaster as he could have fallen to the ground had not others held the platform before he descended to the ground.

Here’s the video:

You’re watching on the spider-cam here, and then what has happened is that the spider-cam, which seemed to be a bit out of control on that shot in the air with Cerundolo, has collided with the umpire’s chair. And it’s Mohamed Lahyani in the umpire’s chair. I mean, he’s alright. There are now live pictures. It’s taken a little bit of sorting out. It’s a big old heavy bit of kit, and it’s attached to wires which are controlled by remote control. But could have been very nasty, that.

Commentator Jonathan Overend said on Sky Sports (H/T: Daily Express)

Medvedev is a former champion in Miami (won in 2023 by beating Jannik Sinner). He was aiming to reach a final for the third consecutive time this year, as before arriving in Miami, he made the finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Indian Wells Masters, winning the former after receiving a walkover from Tallon Griekspoor. He lost to Sinner in the California desert, making him a three-time Indian Wells finalist.

Before the Dubai ATP 500 event, the Russian ace also lifted the Brisbane International by defeating Brandon Nakashima. Next is the clay swing, and Medvedev will be hoping to win his second title on the surface, following his 2023 Italian Open victory.

Last year, in the Masters 1000 tournaments on the clay swing, the 30-year-old reached the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open, while at the French Open, he suffered an opening-round exit.

Francisco Cerundolo registers his top 10 win of the season after defeating Daniil Medvedev

Cerundolo’s 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 victory over Medvedev helped him reach the fourth round of the Miami Open for the fourth time in his career in his fifth appearance. It was his first top 10 win of the season.

Daniil Medvedev (2)
Daniil Medvedev (Image via X/Tiempo De Tenis)

It was a great match, super tough. It was my first match against Daniil. He’s probably one of the only guys on Tour who I have never played. I didn’t know what to expect. He has had a great year so far, so I didn’t expect to be up 6-0 in the first set and a break up in the second. Suddenly, he started playing super good. But I kept believing and stayed there in the match. In the third set, it was a really good set from both, and it ended up my way.

Francisco Cerundolo said during his on-court interview

Last year in Miami, the Argentine ace exited after reaching the quarterfinals. He is a two-time finalist in Masters 1000 events, reaching the stage in his first appearance in Miami back in 2022 and in last year’s Madrid Open.

So far in his career, Cerundolo has lifted four titles from seven finals, the last of which he won in his home ATP 250 tournament in Buenos Aires this year by beating Luciano Darderi.

The in-form Medvedev, on the other hand, was the heavy favorite to reach either the semifinals or the final. It was the former World No.1 who ended the current World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz‘s 16-match winning streak in the Indian Wells semifinal.

Also read: Elena Rybakina Opens Up on Rivarly with Aryna Sabalenka: “It has been close”