Reigning champion Naomi Osaka entered the third round of the US Open without playing after her rival withdrew from the tournament because she felt unwell.
Osaka was to face Serbian Olga Danilovic on Wednesday, in the first match of the day at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The organizers decided to schedule the duel between the Romanian Simona Halep (12th seed) and the Slovak Kristina Kucova in that turn.
It was one of the few games that started on time in a day with a forecast of torrential rain in New York.
The US Open has two roofed stadiums, the Ashe and the Louis Armstrong. Activity on the other courts started late after being dried up.
Osaka would have come out in search of his 17th consecutive victory in a Grand Slam tournament. After skipping Wimbledon to take care of her mental health, the Japanese star reappeared at the big events on Monday night by defeating Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-1.
The two-time US Open champion has not lost in a Grand Slam since Coco Gauff beat her at the 2020 Australian Open.
Gauff, 17, was one of the cheerleaders of the day as she faced Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, in the night shootout.
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