SERVICE ERROR
Broadcaster forced to apologise after tennis match inexplicably switches to women in bikinis on beach
The future of the tournament has been on the line
TENNIS fans were left baffled yesterday as live coverage was interrupted by footage of bikini-clad women at the beach.
This week has marked the beginning of the clay court season, with a tournament taking place in Estoril.
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The ATP 250 event is set at the Clube de Tenis do Estoril, just a stone's throw from a picturesque Portuguese beach.
This week's tournament has hosted the likes of Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz and Dominic Thiem.
While Wednesday's action also saw the final match of Portuguese hero Joao Sousa, who retired after his 7-5, 6-4 defeat to rising star Arthur Fils.
Fans watching on from home were confused when live pictures switched from the tennis to goings on down at the beach.
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A message subsequently appeared on screen, reading: "Apologies for loss of pictures."
One fan posted a grab of the footage being shown Eurosport, blasting: "Your tournament is complete nonsense."
The future of the tournament was already under threat prior to this week.
Despite being popular with players, Estoril has not been included in the provisional 2025 ATP calendar.
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This week's top seed Ruud said: "It’s a shame they still didn’t find a place for the Estoril Open in 2025. I hope they do."
Sousa, meanwhile, thanked local fans for his emotional send-off.
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Following his defeat to Fils, the 35-year-old said: "It’s been very nice to receive the support from the fans and the love from the organisation. I couldn’t ask for anything better from today."
Fils, 19, added: "I want to congratulate Joao for his amazing career.
"It's unbelievable. He played amazing for his last match! He's one of the toughest opponents on clay, so I'm happy about the win.
"I was trying to stay focused on the match and nothing else."
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