Tournament at French Open halts for first time in 16 years due to rain
Rain Disrupts French Open: Matches Rescheduled and Stars Face Delays
The French Open has been hit by yet another wave of rain delays, causing disruptions to the schedule and pushing several matches back. The tournament, which started on Sunday, has only managed to complete 10 of the scheduled 32 opening round ties due to the inclement weather.
On Monday, the play was set to start at 11 am but was called off just before 2 pm. The rain also forced the cancellation of all scheduled matches for the day. The second day was hit by another two and a half hour delay, pushing 12 matches back to the first Tuesday.
Some of the most affected matches include those of the second seed Agnieszka Radwanska and Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova, who were in the middle of their fourth round tie when it was suspended. Radwanska was leading 6-2, 3-0. Similarly, sixth seed Simona Halep of Romania was leading Australian veteran Samantha Stosur 5-3.
The French Open's weather issues are not new. Last year, the opening Sunday also faced rain delays, and the tournament organisers are planning to install a roof for the showpiece Philippe Chatrier Court, but it will not be ready until 2020.
In the meantime, some players have been fortunate to progress without playing a match. Spanish player Marcel Granollers reached the last 16 without playing a match due to nine-time champion Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the tournament with a wrist injury.
The disruptions have also affected the quarter-finals. Three quarter-finals are scheduled for Tuesday: Andy Murray vs. Richard Gasquet, Stan Wawrinka in the men's event, and Shelby Rogers vs. Garbine Muguruza in the women's singles. If Stan Wawrinka advances, he would play Novak Djokovic on Tuesday, May 16, 2016. Djokovic is set to play Spain's 14th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, with whom he has a 4-0 career lead.
Top seed and defending champion Serena Williams continues her bid for a record-equalling Open era 22nd Grand Slam title. Her opponent in the women's last 16 is Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, who is being advised in Paris by Justine Henin, one of Williams' former great rivals on the tour and a 4-time French Open champion.
If there are further delays on Tuesday, world number one Novak Djokovic could end up playing his last-16 tie on Wednesday, quarter-final on Thursday, and semi-final on Friday. Djokovic is poised to become the first man to win $100 million in prize money if he makes the quarter-finals for the 10th time.
The tournament's Twitter feed announced, "Due to weather, there will be no matches played at #RG16 today." The organisers will hope for better weather conditions in the coming days to ensure the smooth running of the tournament.
