Play was briefly suspended across all courts at the Wimbledon qualifying tournament on Tuesday due to a power outage affecting the automated line-calling system. The disruption occurred as Britain’s Dan Evans had just dropped the first set against Australian Tristan Schoolkate at the Roehampton venue, located several kilometers from the main All England Club grounds.

An All England Club spokesperson confirmed the interruption resulted from a temporary loss of electrical power to part of the qualifying site, which rendered the electronic line-calling system inoperable. After roughly an hour, power was restored and play resumed.

The qualifying tournament uses the electronic line-calling system exclusively, having phased out human line judges last year for the first time in Wimbledon’s history. This is not the first time the system has faced difficulties during the event: earlier in the week, audio ‘out’ calls were temporarily silent, causing some disruption.

Tuesday’s delay came amid a heat warning issued for parts of Britain, including London, where temperatures were forecast to climb into the high 30s Celsius. Wimbledon was operating under its heat rule, permitting a 10-minute break between the second and third sets when the heat stress index exceeded 30.1 degrees Celsius. This index incorporates air temperature, humidity, and court surface conditions and is measured multiple times daily.

Investigations remain ongoing to determine whether the elevated temperatures contributed to the electrical issues at the qualifying venue, which is situated near the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. Unlike the main tournament stages held at the All England Club, Wimbledon’s qualifying rounds take place off-site.

Meanwhile, plans have been approved to redevelop a golf course opposite the All England Club and relocate the qualifying tournament to that site, although these proposals are currently subject to legal considerations.