The much-anticipated semifinal clash between Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek could not be completed on Saturday due to persistent rains in Cancun, Mexico.
World No. 1 Sabalenka must defeat World No. 2 Swiatek to confirm her status as the year-end No. 1. The Pole, for her part, must beat Sabalanka and win the final against Jessica Pegula to reclaim the throne she surrendered to the Belarusian after the US Open.
Just three games into the semifinal on Saturday night, strong and unpleasant winds threatened to wreak havoc into the biggest match of the WTA season, with both players biding their time between points and serves, before the downpour started again.
Earlier during the evening, the first semifinal pitting Pegula and compatriot Coco Gauff could not start at least until an hour later than the initial start time on the Order of Play due to rain showers.
That match featured two separate rain delays that did not last beyond 15 minutes each, with one such instance turning Gauff's umbrella upside down. Pegula was in a hurry and completed a straight sets beatdown of Gauff in just an hour to reach the final.
But the blockbuster semifinal between the top two could not be played beyond three games due to inclement weather. The intermittent rain also washed out the two doubles semifinals. On resumption, Sabalenka will be serving at 1-2, 30-30.
The tournament has since adjusted Sunday's schedule and will accommodate Sabalenka's match with Swiatek after the two doubles semifinals. One of the semifinalists in doubles is yet to be determined from the remaining round-robin matches which will also be completed on Sunday.
Because the incomplete matches have spilled over to Sunday and the forecast suggests even more rain in Cancun, the final has been rescheduled to Monday, November 6, at 4:30 p.m. local time.
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