WIMBLEDON, London — Heading into the fourth day of Wimbledon, some first-round matches were slow to start Thursday because of persistent rain showers that have caused multiple rain delays.
One of those matches involved fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula, who defeated Cristina Bucsa 6-1, 6-4 in the second round.
The defending champion in the women’s tournament, Elena Rybakina, moved into the third round by beating Alize Cornet 6-2, 7-6 (2).
There was quite a backlog of postponed and suspended matches at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, causing a headache for scheduling officials and players alike.
While some select players like Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek have completed two matches to make it into the third round, seven first-round matches failed to start on time after three straight days of rain interruptions. Many others have yet to finish after being suspended by darkness.
The good news is that the weather forecast only gives a small chance of more rain on Thursday and Friday, meaning tournament organizers could get a chance to catch up before the weekend.
They can't afford many more delays, as only four players across the men's and women's draws have completed their second-round matches so far.
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