Why Was the Third Round of Cincinnati Tennis Suspended?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Adverse weather conditions led to the suspension of matches.
- World No. 3 Alexander Zverev was poised to serve for victory.
- Resumption of matches is scheduled for Thursday.
- Defending finalist Jessica Pegula's match was also interrupted.
- Fans must stay tuned for a revised order of play.
Cincinnati, Aug 13 (NationPress) World No. 3 Alexander Zverev faced an unexpected halt in his third-round match at the Cincinnati Open against Brandon Nakashima due to adverse weather conditions that caused the suspension of play on Wednesday (IST).
The 2021 champion had just taken a 6-4, 5-4 lead when players were ordered off the court at 9:03 p.m. because of nearby lightning. Shortly after, heavy rain ensued, leading officials to cancel all remaining matches for the evening, as reported by the ATP.
"Due to the rain, there will be no further play this evening. A revised order of play for Wednesday will be released shortly," stated the event organizers.
When the matches resume, Zverev will aim to complete his match and secure a fourth-round clash with Karen Khachanov, who previously defeated the German in the Toronto semi-finals after saving a match point.
Additionally, Ben Shelton's night match against Roberto Bautista Agut has been rescheduled for Thursday (IST).
Thunderstorms also delayed two women's singles third-round matches. No. 4 seed and defending finalist Jessica Pegula and No. 31 seed Magda Linette had completed two sets before play was suspended due to the heavy rain at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Linette took the first set in a tiebreak 7-6(5), but Pegula responded by winning the second set 6-3.
Heavy rain and lightning interrupted the second set between Linette and Pegula on two occasions. They are set to resume their match second on P&G Center Court on Thursday (IST), following the ATP match between No. 7 seed Holger Rune and No. 10 seed Frances Tiafoe.
This match will commence no sooner than noon local time and will be the first of three women's singles matches scheduled for the main stadium that day.
Also postponed to Thursday is the third-round encounter between No. 16 seed Clara Tauson and Veronika Kudermetova, alongside two doubles matches.