Rafael Nadal and Karolina Pliskova, the number one seeds at the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Masters, didn’t get a chance to break a sweat before play was halted on Thursday at the rain-hit tournament.
Czech defending champion Pliskova led Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi 3-0 when play was suspended while former and future world No 1 Nadal and compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas never started their third-round match before the final drenching began.
Court conditions more suitable for Olympic swim star Michael Phelps than tennis stars had US 14th seed John Isner, who beat teen Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, happy he snuck in a win between storms.
Second-ranked Simona Halep of Romania charged closer to taking the world number one ranking from Pliskova by beating Latvian 15th seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.
Eighth-ranked Austrian Dominic Thiem, the only other seed remaining in Nadal’s half of the draw, edged France’s Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3). He faces Spaniard David Ferrer in the quarter-finals.
