Auckland (AFP) – Rain disrupted the first day of the WTA Auckland Classic on Monday with only two matches completed, delaying the start of top-seed Serena Williams’s campaign.
Williams was forced to wait until 9:20pm, nearly three hours past her scheduled start time, before her first-round match against Pauline Parmentier of France and other night matches were postponed because of persistent rain.
“The weather has not been kind to us and unfortunately we have to abandon the session tonight,” tournament director Carl Budge told the handful of hardy spectators who braved the weather.
Former world top-10 Lucie Safarova cruised through her first match against fellow Czech Denisa Allertova 6-1, 6-2, thanks to her markedly superior serve.
Safarova fired down seven aces while Allertova served up nine double faults.
In the second completed match, Japan’s Kurumi Nara comfortably beat Antonia Lottner of Germany 6-2, 6-2. Fifth seed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands was 5-3 up on American Lauren Davis in their first set when rain halted play.
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