The Miami Open stumbled out of the gates as relentless rain wiped out the entire first day of women’s qualifying, throwing the schedule into early chaos. The disruption shows no signs of easing, with more showers looming across the opening week. As day two approached, matches faced abrupt suspension, with weather once again dictating play.

The final two matches of the day at the Miami Open were suspended due to rain. These included Zachary Svajda vs Colton Smith and Aleksandar Vukic vs Billy Harris. Both matches will resume tomorrow.

The Vukic vs Harris match was highly competitive. The first set reached 6-6. Vukic was leading 5-2 in the tiebreak when play stopped. The Svajda vs Smith match was also interrupted mid-action. Smith had already taken the first set 7-6. The second set stood at 30-40 when the match was halted.

The weather has become a major issue this year. The forecast for the tournament looks poor. Rain has already disrupted multiple matches. There may be a short break in the rain during the first weekend. However, showers are expected to return in the second week. Thunderstorms are also possible.

The venue adds to the problem. The Hard Rock Stadium complex has 10 match courts. It has been the home of the tournament since 2019. None of these courts have roofs. This means play stops completely when it rains. Matches can only resume after the courts are dry.

Weather forecasts for Miami predict rain on Wednesday and Thursday. Conditions are expected to remain unstable. This increases the risk of further delays.

Conditions may improve briefly later in the week. But the second week could face fresh disruption, especially from the quarterfinal stage. Top players like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff may still get better conditions early on, but weather issues have long been a recurring challenge here.

Stormy start derails Miami Open qualifiers

Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit the Miami-Dade County region yesterday. The downpour lasted for hours. It made the outdoor courts unplayable for most of the day at the Miami Open.

Tournament officials confirmed the situation quickly. They used their official social media channels to update fans. In a weather update shared on X on Sunday, March 15, the Miami Open account wrote, “Due to inclement weather, all qualifying matches and practices have been cancelled for Sunday 3/15. Match play will begin on Monday, 3/16 at 10 am.”

Weather disruption is not new for this event. Last year also saw major delays. Even the men’s final faced a serious interruption. The final featured Novak Djokovic and Jakub Mensik. The match was scheduled to start at 3 p.m. But heavy rain caused a long delay.

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The start time was pushed back by more than five hours. Players finally entered the court at 8:37 p.m. Scheduling changes also added to the delay. Organizers decided to finish the women’s doubles final first. This further delayed the men’s final. Rain also interrupted other matches during the tournament.

In the round of 16, Gael Monfils vs Sebastian Korda was halted. The final minutes were played after a long delay. Alexander Zverev vs Arthur Fils was also postponed. 

Now, with rain hitting the second qualifying day, fans are questioning if the event can finish on time.