STUTTGART: Rain washed out the Stuttgart grasscourt final on Sunday, with German Philipp Kohlschreiber leading Dominic Thiem 3-2 in a first-set tiebreaker when play was halted for the day.
The match was sent off court in early evening, with just 50 minutes of cumulative playing time since the intended start more than six and a half hours earlier.
Thiem and Kohlschreiber will resume action on Monday.
The final is a re-run of the Munich final of six weeks ago, won by Kohlschreiber during a week when April snow fell on matches in the Bavarian capital.
Thiem, who moved into the ATP top 10 this week after a French Open semifinal performance, owns three titles in 2016 — winning Buenos Aires, Acapulco and Nice.
The 22-year-old, who saved two match points as he knocked out Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, is bidding to become the first man this season to claim trophies on three different surfaces (clay, hardcourt and now grass).
Thiem has never beaten Kohlschreiber, also losing to him in a Kitzbuehel semifinal last summer on clay.
The Stuttgart tournament switched to grass last season under the supervision of All England Club groundsmen in order to join the expanded three-week build-up to Wimbledon.
Rafael Nadal won the inaugural title.
Rain pushes Dutch final back to Monday
Nicolas Mahut took the opening set of the ‘s-Hertogenbosch grasscourt final against Gilles Muller on Sunday before heavy rain pushed the match back to a Monday conclusion, the tournament’s Twitter account announced.
French player Mahut, 34, the champion at the Dutch event in 2013 and 2015, had taken the first set 6-4 before play was halted for the day.
Earlier, American CoCo. Vandeweghe edged Kristina Mladenovic of France 7-5, 7-5 to win women’s title in a keenly fought battle on Sunday.
For Vandeweghe, ranked 43rd in the world, it was a second title at the Dutch grasscourt event in three years, after she also captured the crown in 2014.
The match was sent off court in early evening, with just 50 minutes of cumulative playing time since the intended start more than six and a half hours earlier.
Thiem and Kohlschreiber will resume action on Monday.
The final is a re-run of the Munich final of six weeks ago, won by Kohlschreiber during a week when April snow fell on matches in the Bavarian capital.
Thiem, who moved into the ATP top 10 this week after a French Open semifinal performance, owns three titles in 2016 — winning Buenos Aires, Acapulco and Nice.
The 22-year-old, who saved two match points as he knocked out Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, is bidding to become the first man this season to claim trophies on three different surfaces (clay, hardcourt and now grass).
Thiem has never beaten Kohlschreiber, also losing to him in a Kitzbuehel semifinal last summer on clay.
The Stuttgart tournament switched to grass last season under the supervision of All England Club groundsmen in order to join the expanded three-week build-up to Wimbledon.
Rafael Nadal won the inaugural title.
Rain pushes Dutch final back to Monday
Nicolas Mahut took the opening set of the ‘s-Hertogenbosch grasscourt final against Gilles Muller on Sunday before heavy rain pushed the match back to a Monday conclusion, the tournament’s Twitter account announced.
French player Mahut, 34, the champion at the Dutch event in 2013 and 2015, had taken the first set 6-4 before play was halted for the day.
Earlier, American CoCo. Vandeweghe edged Kristina Mladenovic of France 7-5, 7-5 to win women’s title in a keenly fought battle on Sunday.
For Vandeweghe, ranked 43rd in the world, it was a second title at the Dutch grasscourt event in three years, after she also captured the crown in 2014.
