Miami Open Mix-up: Aryna Sabalenka Blindsided By Organisers’ Surprise Timing Call

Aryna Sabalenka picked up right where she left off in Indian Wells, opening her Miami campaign with a win over Ann Li.

Rain delays didn’t seem to faze the world number one, who stayed focused and handled her business efficiently.

She now advances to the next round as she looks to complete the Sunshine Double.

However, after the match, Aryna Sabalenka made her feelings clear about the Miami Open organisers changing her start time multiple times throughout the day.

Sabalenka calls out organisers for constant start time changes

Sabalenka’s pre-match schedule was thrown into chaos due to the weather. She was originally set to play in an afternoon slot but ended up not taking the court until late in the evening. The match didn’t begin until 9:48 PM local time, and after two rain interruptions, it wrapped up past midnight.

The Belarusian wasn’t shy about sharing her frustration during a post-match interview. Sabalenka wasn’t alone in her complaints. Several players voiced their frustration with how tournament officials managed Sunday’s schedule.

This wasn’t limited just to matches either – even qualifying sessions ran late into Monday morning. For example, Laura Pigossi and Sachia Vickery played until nearly 3 AM local time due to another rain delay earlier in their session.

Aryna Sabalenka reacts to Miami Open scheduling decision

“I was actually shocked that they were considering cancelling my match,” she said, sounding surprised during her post-match comments.

“They were giving me a couple of options of the stadiums, and I was like, what’s the problem for Alcaraz and Fonseca starting later?

“Because yesterday, the night session started at nine, and then Mirra was playing. So I was actually like really shocked at the idea of, like, even cancelling my match.

“But I just decided to play today. Just so if I win I have a day off and I have time to prepare to recharge and everything, but, yeah, I was actually shocked, to be honest, but I’m happy that they gave me options so I could choose what’s best for me.”

When asked why she found it surprising, Sabalenka explained: “I think I never dealt with something like that, so I think it’s like a first experience. I don’t remember anything like that.

“I just thought like it’s not a big problem for me to play and then for the night session to wait and start a little bit later, but I guess that’s what the tournament tickets are for. This was better for the tournament.

“It’s tricky because Alcaraz was playing, so it’s kind of like two number ones and what they should do. But again, happy that there were some options.”

Miami Open tournament director addresses scheduling concerns before the event

Before the tournament got underway, Miami Open tournament director James Blake spoke about his approach to this year’s schedule.

His comments were more focused on how he planned to handle the growing fanbases of Alexandra Eala and Joao Fonseca, with the latter specifically mentioned by Sabalenka.

Blake admitted: “Yes, harking back last year when I learned my lesson of Fonseca needs to be on stadium, and he will be, yes.

“I think we’re going to need them to be on centre court because they have so many fans worldwide, and here it’s going to feel like home matches for both of them.”

This wasn’t a surprise at all as Blake was clearly aiming not to repeat any of last year’s issues. But in doing so, it seems Sabalenka ended up paying the price this time around.

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