Rome tournament halted by rain as key matches face delays
Rain halted play at the Rome tournament on Friday, May 8, causing delays in several matches. Both men’s and women’s singles events were affected, with players forced to pause their games mid-action. Organisers remain hopeful that clearer weather will allow the schedule to resume as planned. The downpour interrupted multiple high-profile clashes. In the women’s draw, Anastasia Potapova held a 6–3, 1–0 lead over Karolína Muchová before the stoppage. Meanwhile, Madison Keys and Peyton Stearns were locked at 3–3 in their all-American encounter.
On the men’s side, Botic van de Zandschulp had fought back after losing the first set 2–6 to Aleksandar Kovacevic, taking a 4–1 lead in the second. Jan-Lennard Struff and Jiří Lehečka were deep into their match, with the score at 6–7 (4–7), 3–4 when play was suspended. Casper Ruud also saw his progress paused while leading Zachary Svajda 6–1, 3–2.
The tournament, which runs until May 17, still has defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and Jasmine Paolini in contention. Both are aiming to retain their titles as the event pushes forward despite the weather setback. With the forecast improving, organisers expect matches to restart soon. The suspended games will resume from their exact points of interruption. Fans will be watching closely as the tournament heads toward its final stages next week.
