Relentless rain turned the 2026 Miami Open into a test of patience and adaptability, but not every player responded the same way. While top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz were forced to cut short their preparations as storms swept through South Florida, rising Filipina star Alexandra Eala pushed through the chaos, squeezing in valuable practice time whenever the skies briefly cleared.
Unrelenting Downpours Force Widespread Cancellations at Miami Open
The Miami Open has faced a tumultuous start, with relentless South Florida rain and thunderstorms causing a near-total collapse of the opening schedule. The disruptions began as early as Sunday, March 15, when a complete washout forced the cancellation of all qualifying matches and practice sessions.
This early delay created a ripple effect, squeezing the qualifying rounds into a condensed timeframe on Monday and Tuesday, which were themselves plagued by stop-and-start weather patterns that left players and officials in a state of constant uncertainty.
The situation escalated significantly on Wednesday, March 18, turning the tournament into a washout. Organizers were forced to cancel all 37 scheduled matches across both the ATP and WTA draws due to persistent downpours, rendering play impossible.
High-profile stars like Venus Williams, Matteo Berrettini, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Grigor Dimitrov were left waiting for hours as “not before” times were repeatedly pushed back, only for the entire day and night sessions to be officially scrapped by 7 p.m. local time. This mass cancellation has left the tournament with a massive backlog of matches to resolve.
MORE: Miami Open 2026 Seeds, Wildcards, Format, and More Headlined By Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz
Beyond the rain itself, the tournament faced a unique challenge with the Stadium Court. Heavy rainfall in the days leading up to the main draw left certain areas of the court unplayable, requiring additional preparation and maintenance to meet professional standards.
As a result, officials were forced to move all of Wednesday’s planned action to smaller outer courts before the cancellation was eventually announced.
How Did Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexandra Eala Deal with the Miami Rain Chaos?
Practice schedules suffered as well. Sabalenka, the top seed on the WTA side, shared her reaction to the unrelenting rain on her Instagram stories, posting a clip of the downpour with the caption, “Weather be like: nah no need to practice today.”
ATP top seed Alcaraz faced a similar situation, abandoning his session as soaked courts made meaningful preparation impossible. In contrast, Eala took advantage of a brief lull in the rain, heading out with her team and getting in a focused practice ahead of her second-round clash against Laura Siegemund.
The tournament is in marathon mode to make up for lost time. With over 50 matches potentially on the docket, the schedule is extremely congested, forcing players into tighter turnarounds and leaving little margin for further delays.
While the Stadium Court is expected to open the next day, the logistical strain remains high as staff work to dry the courts and manage the thousands of fans whose tickets were affected by the previous days’ chaos.
