Swiatek and Sabalenka power into Madrid quarterfinals a day after blackout. Top seed Zverev loses

MADRID (AP) — Power was restored at the Caja Magica tennis complex Tuesday and the Madrid Open resumed with a packed schedule that included second-ranked Iga Swiatek advancing to the quarterfinals after a “more relaxed” day because of the blackout.

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka made into the last eight by defeating Peyton Stearns in straight sets, while on the men's side, top-seeded Alexander Zverev was upset by 21st-ranked Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.

Following the major blackout that prompted 22 matches to be postponed on Monday, Swiatek returned to the center court and defeated Diana Shnaider 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-4 to stay on track to defend her title in the Spanish capital.

“I liked yesterday. I think the whole world was just more relaxed, kind of, obviously the people who didn't lose because of this," she said. “I enjoyed the time off, and I tried to just recover, because we need to savor these free days, for sure.”

Swiatek said she took away food from the tournament site and relaxed at the hotel until the power came back on.

“I just chilled and used that time to not think about what I should do,” she said. "There was no signal, so basically no one used their phones. It was nice, I liked it.”

Most parts of Madrid regained power overnight, but the Caja Magica was still without electricity early Tuesday, causing a delay in the opening of the gates for fans.

The power came back quickly, though, and organizers did not have to alter the day’s schedule of matches, although there was the possibility of the night session being delayed because of the high number of matches during the day.

Swiatek cruised in the first set but had to save 11 of 13 break points to seal a hard-fought victory against the 13th-seeded Shnaider.

Swiatek has not lost before the quarterfinals in seven tournaments this season but hasn't gone past the semifinals since Roland Garros last year. She will next face Madison Keys, who defeated Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3.

It will be Swiatek's first meeting with Keys since she lost despite having match point in the semifinals of the Australian Open that was won by Keys.

“We played last year here, but I think it was a night session or something,” Swiatek said. “I don’t know, I think it was like colder or a little bit different, so for sure we’ll watch that match.”

Sabalenka defeated 44th-ranked Stearns 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the Madrid quarterfinals for the fourth time in five years.

It was the WTA Tour-leading 28th win this season for the two-time Madrid champion. She was tied with Jessica Pegula with 27.

Sabalenka lost last year's final to Swiatek.

Cerundolo defeated the second-ranked Zverev 7-5, 6-3 to continue his quick rise in the rankings.

Cerundolo, who also defeated Zverez last year in Madrid, broke serve once in each set and saved the only break opportunity he conceded at center court.

who also defeated Zverev last year in Madrid.

Zverev was coming off the title in Munich and will move on to defend his title in Rome.

“He played better than me today," Zverev said. “He definitely played better than me last year when we played here. But to be honest, I didn’t play terrible, he just played better than me.”

In the men's side, 31st-ranked Matteo Berrettini withdrew with an abdominal injury after losing the first set 7-6 (2) to sixth-ranked Jack Draper.

Sixth-seeded Alex de Minaur tied Carlos Alcaraz with a tour-leading 24th win this season by getting past Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6 (3).

The seventh-ranked De Minaur will next face Lorenzo Musetti, who beat 2019 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 7-6 (3).

Americans Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe both won their matches. The 11th-seeded Paul defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, while the 16th-seeded Tiafoe beat Alexandre Muller 6-3, 6-3.

Paul was among the players having to play doubles on the same day as their singles matches. Another was 19-year-old Jakub Mensik, the Miami winner who defeated Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-2 before having to play his doubles match on the same court a bit later.

The 27-year-old Bublik joked in a conversation with the match's referee during a changeover.

"Remember when tennis was easy? Like five years ago it was super easy to play tennis,” the four-time winner on tour said. “A bunch of random people in the top 50, barely moving. Now this guy is not even top 5, not even top 10. What is that?”

Ninth-seed Daniil Medvedev matched his career-best result in Madrid by reaching the last eight with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over American Brandon Nakashima. Fourth-ranked Taylor Fritz was another American eliminated, losing 7-5, 6-4 to Casper Ruud.

There were huge lines outside the complex, and people with tickets for Monday's matches were not allowed back in on Tuesday.

“Nobody said anything yet,” said Juan Duato, who was denied entry when he arrived on Monday during the power outage. “They said we couldn't come in and asked us to contact customer support. Apparently they will send us an email.”

Organizers said later Tuesday that anyone who purchased tickets for Monday would receive a full refund for the purchase. That process would be carried out automatically over the next few days.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Alexander Zverev of Germany watches the ball against Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Alexander Zverev of Germany leaves the court after losing to Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, hits a return to United States' Peyton Stearns during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, blows a kiss after defeating United States' Peyton Stearns during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Russia's Diana Shnaider returns the ball against Iga Swiatek of Poland during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Iga Swiatek of Poland returns the ball against Russia's Diana Shnaider during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Iga Swiatek of Poland returns the ball against Russia's Diana Shnaider during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Russia's Diana Shnaider eyes the ball as she plays Iga Swiatek of Poland during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Russia's Diana Shnaider returns the ball against Iga Swiatek of Poland during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Iga Swiatek of Poland returns the ball against Russia's Diana Shnaider during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Iga Swiatek of Poland returns the ball against Russia's Diana Shnaider during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spectators walk out of the Madrid Open tennis tournament venue during a general blackout in Madrid, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

The Madrid Open tennis tournament venue is empty during a general blackout in Madrid, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

The Madrid Open tennis tournament venue is empty during a general blackout in Madrid, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spectators roam inside the Madrid Open tennis tournament venue during a general blackout in Madrid, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spectators roam inside the Madrid Open tennis tournament venue during a general blackout in Madrid, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Protesters used water pistols against unsuspecting tourists in Barcelona and on the Spanish island of Mallorca on Sunday as demonstrators marched to demand a rethink of an economic model they believe is fueling a housing crunch and erasing the character of their hometowns.

The marches were part of the first coordinated effort by activists concerned with the ills of overtourism across southern Europe's top destinations. While several thousands rallied in Mallorca in the biggest gathering of the day, hundreds more gathered in other Spanish cities, as well as in Venice, Italy, and Portugal's capital, Lisbon.

“The squirt guns are to bother the tourists a bit,” Andreu Martínez said in Barcelona with a chuckle after spritzing a couple seated at an outdoor café. “Barcelona has been handed to the tourists. This is a fight to give Barcelona back to its residents.”

Martínez, a 42-year-old administrative assistant, is one of a growing number of residents who are convinced that tourism has gone too far in the city of 1.7 million people. Barcelona hosted 15.5 million visitors last year eager to see Antoni Gaudí’s La Sagrada Familia basilica and the Las Ramblas promenade.

Martínez says his rent has risen over 30% as more apartments in his neighborhood are rented to tourists for short-term stays. He said there is a knock-on effect of traditional stores being replaced by businesses catering to tourists, like souvenir shops, burger joints and “bubble tea” spots.

“Our lives, as lifelong residents of Barcelona, are coming to an end," he said. "We are being pushed out systematically.”

Around 5,000 people gathered in Palma, the capital of Mallorca, with some toting water guns as well and chanting “Everywhere you look, all you see are tourists.” The tourists who were targeted by water blasts laughed it off. The Balearic island is a favorite for British and German sun-seekers. It has seen housing costs skyrocket as homes are diverted to the short-term rental market.

Hundreds more marched in Granada, in southern Spain, and in the northern city of San Sebastián, as well as the island of Ibiza.

In Venice, a couple of dozen protesters unfurled a banner calling for a halt to new hotel beds in the lagoon city in front of two recently completed structures, one in the popular tourist destination’s historic center where activists say the last resident, an elderly woman, was kicked out last year.

Protesters in Barcelona blew whistles and held up homemade signs saying “One more tourist, one less resident.” They stuck stickers saying “Citizen Self-Defense,” in Catalan, and “Tourist Go Home,” in English, with a drawing of a water pistol on the doors of hotels and hostels.

There was tension when the march stopped in front of a large hostel, where a group emptied their water guns at two workers positioned in the entrance. They also set off firecrackers next to the hostel and opened a can of pink smoke. One worker spat at the protesters as he slammed the hostel’s doors.

American tourists Wanda and Bill Dorozenski were walking along Barcelona’s main luxury shopping boulevard where the protest started. They received a squirt or two, but she said it was actually refreshing given the 83 degree Fahrenheit (28.3 degrees Celsius) weather.

“That’s lovely, thank you sweetheart,” Wanda said to the squirter. “I am not going to complain. These people are feeling something to them that is very personal, and is perhaps destroying some areas (of the city).”

There were also many marchers with water pistols who didn't fire at bystanders and instead solely used them to spray themselves to keep cool.

Cities across the world are struggling with how to cope with mass tourism and a boom in short-term rental platforms, like Airbnb, but perhaps nowhere has surging discontent been so evident as in Spain, where protesters in Barcelona first took to firing squirt guns at tourists during a protest last summer.

There has also been a confluence of the pro-housing and anti-tourism struggles in Spain, whose 48 million residents welcomed record 94 million international visitors in 2024. When thousands marched through the streets of Spain’s capital in April, some held homemade signs saying “Get Airbnb out of our neighborhoods.”

Spanish authorities are striving to show they hear the public outcry while not hurting an industry that contributes 12% of gross domestic product.

Last month, Spain’s government ordered Airbnb to remove almost 66,000 holiday rentals from the platform that it said had violated local rules.

Spain’s Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy told The Associated Press shortly after the crackdown on Airbnb that the tourism sector “cannot jeopardize the constitutional rights of the Spanish people,” which enshrines their right to housing and well-being. Carlos Cuerpo, the economy minister, said in a separate interview that the government is aware it must tackle the unwanted side effects of mass tourism.

The boldest move was made by Barcelona's town hall, which stunned Airbnb and other services who help rent properties to tourists by announcing last year the elimination of all 10,000 short-term rental licenses in the city by 2028.

That sentiment was back in force on Sunday, where people held up signs saying “Your Airbnb was my home.”

The short-term rental industry, for its part, believes it is being treated unfairly.

“I think a lot of our politicians have found an easy scapegoat to blame for the inefficiencies of their policies in terms of housing and tourism over the last 10, 15, 20 years,” Airbnb’s general director for Spain and Portugal, Jaime Rodríguez de Santiago recently told the AP.

That argument either hasn’t trickled down to the ordinary residents of Barcelona, or isn’t resonating.

Txema Escorsa, a teacher in Barcelona, doesn’t just oppose Airbnb in his home city, he has ceased to use it even when traveling elsewhere, out of principle.

“In the end, you realize that this is taking away housing from people,” he said.

AP Videojournalist Hernán Múñoz in Barcelona, and Associated Press writer Colleen Barry in Venice, Italy, contributed.

A police officer stands next to bar as people march during a protest against overtourism in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)

People march during a protest against overtourism in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)

Tourists sit in a restaurant as people protest against overtourism in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)

People march during a protest against overtourism in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. Signs read in mallorquin, 'For Sale'. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)

People march during a protest against overtourism in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. The placards in Mallorquin read, 'In Mallorca we want to live, not survive'. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)

People march during a protest against overtourism in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. Signs read in mallorquin, 'For Sale'. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)

A plain clothed police officer, left, tries to stop a man shooting a water pistol during a protest against overtourism in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Pau Venteo)

A person wears a t shirt with the message reading 'Neighborhood auto defense - Tourists go home' during a protest against overtourism in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Pau Venteo)

A cardboard figure of a cruise ship is photographed during a protest against overtourism in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Pau Venteo)

People march near the Sagrada Familia basilica during a protest against overtourism in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. Main banners read 'Decrease level of tourism now', Mass tourism kills neighborhoods' and 'Tarragona without cruise ships' (AP Photo/Pau Venteo)

People march during a protest against overtourism in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Pau Venteo)

A protester with a water gun takes part in a protest against overtourism in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Pau Venteo)

People shoot in the direction of tourists with water guns during a protest against overtourism in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Pau Venteo)

FILE - Tourists sit on a public bench at Plaza Mayor in downtown Madrid, Spain, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

FILE - People sunbathe on a beach in Barcelona, Spain, March 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)