Sabalenka Due on Ashe at Night as Rain Hits US Open

Sabalenka's Second Round

Aryna Sabalenka, the defending women's singles champion at the US Open, was set to play her second-round match on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night, according to Sportsnet.ca. Carlos Alcaraz, the defending men's champion, was also scheduled for a night match on the same court.

Sportsnet did not report Sabalenka's opponent, and none of the available reports say how the match finished or whether it was completed. The result is not yet known from these sources.

The US Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season, played on outdoor hard courts in New York. Arthur Ashe Stadium is its main show court and has a retractable roof.

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Rain and a Backed-Up Schedule

Play was suspended again on the outside courts on Wednesday as rain fell in New York, Sportsnet reported. Matches continued uninterrupted under the roofs at Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium.

The tournament was still trying to catch up from delays on Tuesday. Some players were contesting second-round matches while others had not yet finished their first, and had to hope the weather cleared enough to avoid resuming on Thursday.

Sportsnet noted that the US Open moved to a Sunday start last year, spreading the first round across three days. Without the weather, everyone would have been in the second round by Wednesday.

Wednesday's Completed Matches

Jessica Pegula, the No. 3 seed, beat fellow American Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1 in 56 minutes to reach the third round for the seventh year in a row, the WTA reported. Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, had beaten Venus Williams in the first round.

"To be out of there in under an hour, it doesn't always happen," Pegula said. The WTA reported she improved to 47-12 this season and will next face No. 31 seed Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open runner-up, whom she leads 3-1 in career meetings.

In the men's draw, No. 8 seed Ben Shelton beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5, and No. 7 Daniil Medvedev beat Sebastian Gorzny 6-3, 6-3, 7-5. Bleacher Report said Andrey Rublev, the No. 23 seed, lost to Daniel Merida in four sets.

Paula Badosa of Spain completed a 6-1, 6-4 win over Daria Kasatkina after their match was halted on Tuesday with Badosa a game from victory. She said the interruption left her so nervous she could not eat, and she now meets No. 4 seed Coco Gauff.