There is plenty of chat on Twitter centred around the fact there is no roof at Hard Rock Stadium, and why such a big tournament isn’t held at a venue that can cope with inclement weather in a region has a tropical monsoon climate. Hard Rock Stadium is, of course, an NFL venue (no roof needed) that has hosted five Super Bowls. The Miami Open moved there this year having previously been held at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne (also no roof).
Then there are the suggestions that rain covers are used, rather than relying on the enormous hair dryers and squeegees currently being employed.
Bad news coming through for those on the ground wanting to see Roger Federer in action – the Swiss master’s match with Daniil Medvedev has been postponed due to the weather and will be played tomorrow afternoon local time. I *think* Barty and Kvitova will be back to finish tonight though.
It’s approaching 10pm in Miami and the Open’s official Twitter account informs us the court “no longer looks like a lake”. Meanwhile, we’ve moved on from the sailing on the telly to a kind of life and times docco about Shane Warne, via some Bundesliga football.
There is a roof on the stadium in Miami, but it’s just a “partial” one and cannot be closed. More of a sun shade, rather than something designed to keep the rain out, I imagine.
9:35 update:
The squeegees and the blowers (weird band name tbh) are on Stadium Court working their magic.
The Miami Open reports that it’s still raining (thanks), but not as hard as earlier. “Decision makers are currently meeting” apparently. Let’s hope for good news.
Barty, still just 22 remember, is making her first appearance in the last eight of a WTA premier mandatory event tonight. It may not be a grand slam, but it’s the closest thing to one. And it may not be that long before Barty makes a breakthrough at a major, as Linda Pearce wrote last year:
In the more than three decades since Pat Cash’s famous 1987 Wimbledon triumph, Australia has had eight changes of prime minister but just three grand slam singles champions: Pat Rafter, Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Stosur. Next year, Tennis Australia’s head of women’s professional tennis, Nicole Pratt, believes Ashleigh Barty is capable of becoming the fourth.
One of this pair’s previous four meetings came earlier this year at the Australian Open. In case you’ve forgotten how that one ended, here’s Kevin Mitchell’s match report from Melbourne Park.
The 28-year-old Kvitova, one of the nicest people in tennis, is in her first semi-final here in seven years, after killing Bambi – the hometown favourite, Ashleigh Barty – 6-1, 6-4.
The implications of winning this match for Barty’s world ranking have been mentioned, but let’s not forget what this tournament means for Kvitová. If she beats Barty, and goes on to lift the trophy, she’ll claim the world No 1 ranking for the first time. And that really would complete the most remarkable of comebacks.
The TV station which was showing the match appears pretty confident the rain will be around for a bit, as they’ve cut and are now showing some mad-looking sailing action instead.
Very frustrating for players, fans and livebloggers alike. Hopefully the players will be back on court soon. In the meantime, here’s what happened to Novak Djokovic earlier on, courtesy of Reuters:
A tenacious Roberto Bautista Agut battled back to beat world No 1 Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 and advance to the quarter-finals as the Spaniard claimed his second win over the Serb this year.
Six-times champion Djokovic blasted the 22nd seed off the court in the opening set but Bautista Agut grew more aggressive in the second, stepping in to take his second serves early and baiting his opponent into extended rallies.
The tide turned in Bautista Agut’s favour in the third when, after both players exchanged service breaks, an uncharacteristically sloppy Djokovic sent a backhand wide to fall behind 4-2.
Three games later Bautista Agut smacked a forehand winner down the line to seal the win, which was reminiscent of Bautista Agut’s come-from-behind victory over Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Qatar Open in January.
The loss capped a disappointing trip through the U.S. for Djokovic, who fell in straight sets to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells earlier this month.
Next up for Bautista Agut is a quarter-final date with defending champion John Isner, who was a 7-6(5), 7-6(3) winner over Britain’s Kyle Edmund earlier in the day.
While we wait for the rain to clear, the TV director is having fun focusing on members of the crowd and their methods of staying dry. A massive umbrella takes the prize, but also a special mention for the upturned matchday program over one bloke’s head. The players are going to head back into the changing rooms as “play is suspended” is called over the mike. “A little bit of lightning” is around, apparently.
First set: Kvitová* 1-2 Barty (*denotes server): The rain isn’t forcing the players off court just yet, and they’re back to contest this fourth game of the first set. Kvitová ramps up her service game and takes a 30-15 lead before... rain. Off they go, up go the brollies and the plastic ponchos in the stands. Very frustrating for the players at this point. Neither is able to really find a rhythm so far.
First set: Kvitová 1-2 Barty* (*denotes server): Barty’s up and running quickly, sliding across the court to make a return back across Kvitová. But at 30-30 the rain starts again. Oh dear, this is really disrupting the flow of play. Barty quickly serves out, finishing with the first ace of this encounter, and they’ll have a sit down. Let’s see what happens with this weather...
Barty and Kvitová are having a bit of a laugh with chair umpire Julie Kjendlie as they suggest they move to another court. Which is strange, because it’s not like it won’t be raining elsewhere. Anyway, the floor driers are hard at work with their towels, trying to keep the court dry. Good work all round, because it looks like we’re ready to get back under way. Barty is serving, remember, 0-15 down.
While we’re waiting, a little more from Nick Kyrgios now, following his earlier defeat during which he was heckled by some fans in the stands.
“They paid money to see me play and they just screamed out ridiculous things, and I’m just not going to take it anymore,” Kyrgios said. “I played for two hours and 20 minutes, and the guy yells at me: ‘Play some tennis!’
“I’m not going to take it, so I just said ‘F you’ to him. Probably not needed but at that time I’d been competing and in the heat of the moment, and it’s not what you want to hear.”
First set: Kvitová 1-1 Barty* (*denotes server): Oh no, the rain is coming down. And with Kvitová 15-0 up in this third game, the players take a seat and will wait for the drizzle to disappear.
First set: Kvitová* 1-1 Barty (*denotes server): Kvitová gets on the board, but it’s far from plain sailing. Barty, hitting the ball pretty crisply, opens up a 30-0 lead on the Czech’s first service game but the world No 2 gets back on course, with some help from a Barty net cord and levels at 30-30. At deuce, Kvitová opens up her body and plays a glorious forehand winner that lands right on the line and it looks like she’s going to wrap this one up until some cute shot-making from Barty brings it back to 40-40. Nevertheless, Kvitova proves too strong and rounds it out to keep the opening set on serve.
Petra Kvitova returns to Ash Barty during their quarter-final. Photograph: Luis M Alvarez/AP
First set: Kvitová 0-1 Barty* (*denotes server): Barty holds after an unconvincing start to the match. She finds herself 0-30 down before Kvitová brings up two break points. But the Czech fails to capitalise on both, after a weak return of serve into the net and then a long forehand at the baseline. Barty goes on to wrap up the game.
First set: Kvitová 0-0 Barty* (*denotes server): OK, warm-ups completed, umpire ready, spectators in their seats, music off, we’re ready to go under the lights at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. Play!
Barty wins the toss, as the coin lands on the “WTA” side, as opposed to the “trophy” side which Kvitová chose, and the Australian elects to serve first.
But here they are now, in the tunnel, about to walk out onto court. Barty’s introduced, then Kvitová. And onto Maimi’s blue surface they come, in front of a fairly sparse crowd, it has to be said.
We’re still waiting for the players to get onto court. This match was originally advertised as “not before 7:30pm local” but was put back 15 minutes. We’re now another 15 delayed.
What is there left to say about Nick? Really not much. He continues to dazzle with his own unique brand of ridiculous shot-making coupled with occasional “audience interaction”, racket abuse and running battles with umpires. He is nothing if not pure entertainment.
He lost in three sets to Borna Coric today in the men’s draw in Miami, a match that variously boasted the above shot, another tweener that dropped jaws, code violations (for both players), some sarcastic applause for the umpire who docked him a point for saying “fuck you man” to a spectator, an impressive water bottle challenge at a change of ends, and a smashed racket, which he gave to a fan in the stands before apparently telling the umpire that he was “just folding it up for him”. Sensational.
Kvitová’s journey over the past few years has been equally remarkable and her rise to world No 2 has defied all the odds after the Czech was attacked by a knife-wielding home intruder in December 2016.
Earlier today, that man was sentenced to eight years in jail.
The rise of Ashleigh Barty since returning from her cricket sabbatical three years ago has been nothing short of meteoric, and today offers her the chance to enter the world’s top 10 for a first time in her career. Victory in the Miami Open quarter-final against Petra Kvitová will ensure she will take her place at the top table of women’s tennis when the rankings are released on Monday.
It looks like that she will anyway, regardless of how things go against Kvitová – only defeat to the Czech and a surprise title win for Chinese No 1 Wang Qiang will prevent her joining Sam Stosur as the only Australian woman in the last decade to win a top-1o ranking.
Kvitová has proved a immovable object for Barty in the past: the Australian Open finalist and current world No 2 has prevailed in all four of their previous meetings, but Barty is in fine form in Miami, having set up this encounter with victory over seventh seed Kiki Bertens. She also dispatched compatriot Stosur for the loss of just three games in the second round.
It should be a cracker. The women will be on court soon; No 1 seed Novak Djokovic has just been stunned by Roberto Bautista Agut, who came back from a set down to win 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 and move into the quarter-finals. A big result for the Spaniard. Feel free to get in touch on email (mike.hytner@theguardian.com) or Twitter @mike_hytner if that’s your thing. Let’s do this.
