Aryna Sabalenka’s highly anticipated return to court, just days after the demise of his boyfriend Konstantin Koltso, has been delayed due to rain at the Hard Rock Stadium. Sabalenka was scheduled to face Paula Badosa in the first match of the day. Apart from Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and top-seed Iga Swiatek are also left waiting with play looking unlikely throughout the day.
As fans eagerly await their favorite tennis stars to hit the courts at the Hard Rock Stadium for the Miami Open, they currently seem to be in a disappointing situation with rain showers causing delays. The day was packed with exciting matches lined up, including Coco Gauff against Nadia Podoroska, Danielle Collins against Anastasia Potapova, Iga Swiatek against Camila Giorgi, Aryna Sabalenka against Paula Badosa, and many more thrilling competitions in the men’s bracket.
Second seed Jannik Sinner was scheduled to take on countryman Andrea Vavassori in the second match while defending champion Daniil Medvedev is marked to go up against Marton Fucsovics in the final match of the day. But journalist Jose Morgado provided an update that will disappoint fans.
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He took to X to share that it is “unlikely to get ANY match today, per the forecast…”
Miami, with 1h15 till the start of play.
Unlikely to get ANY match today, per the forecast… https://t.co/Gf7HC0r3cu
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) March 22, 2024
The forecast predicts continuous heavy precipitation with a 60% average throughout the day. The play was scheduled to begin at 11 am ET but has already been pushed back an hour twice with the earliest start now 1 pm ET. So far, all doubles matches have been canceled due to the delayed start.
In more upsetting news for the fans, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has placed South Florida under a Level 1 risk of severe weather with the potential for heavy rain, flooding, damaging gusty winds, small hail, and isolated tornadoes over the weekend.
This has left the fans anxiously waiting for positive updates from the rest of the matches. The rain-soaked scenes at the Miami Open will remind the fans of the long wait they had to endure just a few days ago at the Indian Wells.
Fans waited for more than three hours to see Indian Wells semi-final clash
The frustration because of the rain delay isn’t something that tennis fans aren’t used to. Looking back to the recent Indian Wells tournament, the spectators had to wait for more than three hours to witness a gripping semi-final showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
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Reflecting on the delay, a whole pack of fans came forward to express their frustration regarding the situation, raising questions about the arena’s irresponsible behavior of not being prepared for such measures. As the fans continue to wait for their desired matches, it still remains to be seen when the sky will clear out.
Coco Gauff gets fortunate enough to play her match
While all the matches were canceled as the rain caused havoc on the court, only a handful of players were lucky to have played their matches. One amongst them was the American sensation Coco Gauff. The 20-year-old star, amidst the ongoing rain delay, managed to play her match at the stadium against the Argentinean, Nadia Podoroska.
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In a complete one-sided dominance, it was Gauff who managed to come out on top with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-2. On the other hand, Aryna Sabalenka also got the chance to play her first match of the tournament against her best friend Paula Badosa. Having gone through so much, the Belarusian player dominated over her friend and made her way into the next round. What are your thoughts on today’s matches? Do let us know in the comments below!
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