Bizarre moment new Australian Open technology malfunctions

In a bizarre twist of events, Naomi Osaka’s first-round match against Croatian debutante Antonia Ruzic at Rod Laver Arena was suspended for around eight minutes on Tuesday night due to a technology malfunction with the net. Osaka served up a storm ahead of the match, walking out wearing a jellyfish-inspired outfit, that featured a stunning turquoise tunic, complete with a flowing white pair of trousers, umbrella and a transparent white veil. With an outfit more likely to be seen on a runway than centre court, the former world No.1 wore a pleated miniskirt over pleated wide-legged white pants, with a dramatic white wide-brimmed hat that featured a gauzy white veil over her face and long train. The Japanese star had a white butterfly atop her hat and on a matching parasol that she carried. 'Nike let me design this one, it's modelled after a jellyfish,' Osaka said after the match. 'I'm just so grateful I get to be able to do the things that I love and it's really beautiful.' The two-time champion in Melbourne was expected to move comfortably past Croatian debutante Antonia Ruzic but instead had to battle for a 6-3 3-6 6-4 victory. The 28-year-old took a 6-3 lead in the first set and looked sharp. The world No 17 outclassed Ruzic, whose only other major main draw experience came in the first round of the US Open last year. During the second set, the 22-year-old world No 65 hit back at the four-time Grand Slam champion, taking a 5-3 lead. Ruzic fought back to 40-love in the ninth game and was preparing to serve, when the chair umpire interjected. It appeared the red lights on the net posts had flashed on, but would not turn off. The LED lights work in tandem with Hawk Eye and flash red when the ball bounces out. The light had turned on before the previous point began and had remained on for the entire passage of play. Both players continued to play out the point, with Ruzic sending a stunning cross-court forehand down Osaka’s left tramline to secure the point. After confirming the scoreline, the umpire then asked the players whether they were OK to continue with the light on. Neither player was happy to continue, with the chair umpire replying: ‘OK we wait,’ before she was asked by Osaka how long she thought the delay would take. ‘I don’t have that information right now,’ the chair umpire added. The new LED light innovation was not in place at last year’s Australian Open, but had been introduced at the United Cup at the beginning of January. Speaking on TNT Sports, commentator Naomi Broady stated that perhaps the players were right to pause play, noting that if the lights had turned off midpoint, that could be a significant distraction for both players. Stadium technology teams beavered away on the side of the court to fix the issue as the Rod Laver Arena turned into a disco as the stadium’s DJ attempted to keep the crowd occupied with a series of disco tunes. Eight minutes later, the light finally turned off, and the crowd let out a huge cheer. Ruzic then served out the game to win the second set 6-3. In the final set, four-time Grand Slam champion, Osaka, went down a break but drew on her big stage experience to claw her way back and fired a searing backhand to seal the win. 'It's honestly one of my favourite tournaments and to start the year off, it makes me very happy,' the 28-year-old said. 'I think I served pretty well - she's an amazing player. 'I'd never played her before and I hope to not see her on the other side of the net again.'