Former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic was the most notable winner on a day affected by rain and thunderstorms at the Qatar Ladies Open on Monday.
The Serb, a former US Open finalist, beat Bulgaria’s Tsevtana Pironkova 6-1, 6-7 (6/8), 6-4 in a first-round qualifier lasting two-and-a-half hours.
It was the first time Jankovic has played in qualifiers since 2004. It was also her seventh straight victory against Pironkova.
There were also victories for the US’ Christina McHale and Madison Brengle to progress to the main draw.
McHale teamed up with Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching in the doubles, but they were defeated by the Czech Republic’s Andrea Hlavackova and China’s Peng Shuai 6-3, 6-2.
In a later, rain-affected match, Australia’s Samantha Stosur, the 2011 US Open winner, advanced to the second round by beating Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova 7-5, 6-4.
However, overall it was a day dominated by the bad weather, with several interruptions halting play. And with further rain and thunderstorms forecast for the week ahead in Doha, it could prove a headache for tournament organizers.
Already the top seeds, including Angelique Kerber and Karolina Pliskova, will not play until today at the earliest, three days into a six-day tournament.
Qatar — infamous for its hot weather, which has seen the 2022 Soccer World Cup host push the tournament back to November-December that year — has been suffering relatively poor weather over the past 10 days.
Earlier this month, the desert state recorded its lowest-ever temperature, just 1.5°C.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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