Cincinnati Open washed out by rain for second straight day

A look at the rain soaked court at the Cincinnati Open. –CINCINNATI OPEN PHOTO

CINCINNATI–WTA qualifying rounds at the Cincinnati Open never got underway on Wednesday as miserable weather wiped out play for a second consecutive day.

After a wind and rainstorm on Tuesday at the last major tune-up prior to the August 30 US Open start, the bad luck repeated itself 24 hours later.

READ: Naomi Osaka withdraws from Cincinnati Open 

Heavy rain and the occasional shelter-in-place warning broadcast over the mobile phone network meant that the public was never allowed to enter the grounds due to the dangerous conditions.

“Due to ongoing inclement weather, Session 2 has been cancelled,” a tweet from the tournament read.

“Out of an abundance of caution for our fans, gates will not be opened on Wednesday, Aug. 12.

“Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

A total of 33 matches had been scheduled for Wednesday, but none ever started.

READ: Alex Eala gets No. 17 seed in Cincinnati Open field

Forecasts call for more rain through Friday at the expanded 12-day – formerly one week – event, which overlaps with WTA and ATP tournaments ending in Canada on Thursday.

The crowded format has been blamed for major player pullouts on the Cincinnati men’s side, with world number one Jannik Sinner (resting) and hot rival Carlos Alcaraz (recovering from injury) both skipping the hard court test.

Players have begun calling for a rationalisation of the calendar, so far without a response from the ATP and WTA Tour sanctioning bodies.