Coppa Italia fireworks trigger surreal smoke delay at Italian Open

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May 13 : The Italian Open quarter-final between Italy's Luciano Darderi and Spain's Rafael Jodar was interrupted in bizarre circumstances on Wednesday when smoke from fireworks at the neighbouring Stadio Olimpico drifted across the Foro Italico.

Jodar was leading 6-5 in the opening set when thick clouds of smoke drifted onto the centre court from Rome's Stadio Olimpico, where Inter Milan beat Lazio 2-0 in the Coppa Italia final, severely reducing visibility and briefly knocking out the tournament's electronic line-calling system.

Play was halted for almost 20 minutes as officials waited for conditions to improve and for the system to reset.

Television images showed the court shrouded in haze, with players and spectators struggling to follow the action as smoke lingered above the clay.

The late-night scenes added to a chaotic day in Rome after heavy rain earlier caused a delay of around two and a half hours, leaving players competing well into the evening.

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