Bad weather strikes again: Murray and Fritz face nightmare schedule after rain delays at DC Open

ATP
Friday, 04 August 2023 at 12:22
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Andy Murray and Taylor Fritz have been handed a difficult schedule at the DC Open after their match against each other was postponed due to bad weather conditions.
Former world No. 1 Murray had a strong start at the ATP 500 event in Washington, defeating Brandon Nakashima 7-6(5), 6-4 in the opening round. This win was a move in the right direction for the 36-year-old, who had a disappointing run at Wimbledon last month where he lost to world No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round after a five-set thriller. 
Murray is set to undertake the unenviable task of facing Fritz, the tournament's first seed, in his next round at the Citi Open. Currently ranked at No. 9 in the ATP singles ranking, the American easily defeated his first-round opponent Zachary Svajda 6-3, 6-3.

Could have two matches in one day

However, their match, originally set for Thursday evening, has now been delayed due to a downpour on the court. This means it is now set to take place today, August 4, following the women's singles quarter-final match between Jessica Pegula and Elina Svitolina.
This means that whoever emerges victorious between Murray and Fritz will be expected to play twice on the same day, as they will face either Christopher Eubanks or Jordan Thompson just a few hours later.
The schedule says that the next match will not be played until after a period of 'suitable rest', although it is unclear as to how long that is exactly. The only slight positive is that the victor of the Eubanks-Thompson match will most likely have to endure playing both their matches within a similar time frame, keeping things relatively fair.

Both players looking on form

As the tournament favorite, Fritz looks more likely to progress through this nightmare schedule. He has won two ATP titles this season so far, lifting the trophy at the 2023 Delray Beach Open before defeating Aleksandar Vukic in the final of the Atlanta Open last week.
Indeed, the 25-year-old won his only previous head-to-head with the three-time Grand Slam champion at last year's Canadian Open, but Murray has been working on his form since then.
Indeed, the Scot has won 25 of his 36 matches so far this year and was training in 35-degree heat in order to prepare for the extreme weather conditions in the US ahead of the North American swing. Unfortunately, though, he can't do much to prepare for the extreme rain.

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