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Tennis fans were left disappointed by the 2023 Canadian Open's scheduling after Elena Rybakina and Liudmila Samsonova's semifinal clash was rescheduled to take place on the same day as the all-important final.
On Saturday, August 12, Jessica Pegula defeated World No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-4 to advance to the final of the WTA 1000 event. However, her opponent remains undetermined as the second semifinal match between Rybakina and Samsonova, which was scheduled for the same day, was unable to get underway due to rain in Montreal.
Consequently, Rybakina and Samsonova's match was postponed to Sunday, August 13, the day of the final. Their semifinal clash is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. local time. Meanwhile, the final is set to commence no earlier than 5:30 p.m., to ensure suitable rest time for the players.
"The match is now scheduled to be played on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The winner will face Pegula in the final, which will take place after suitable rest and not before 5:30 p.m," the WTA's statement reads.
Incidentally, both Liudmila Samsonova and Elena Rybakina suffered scheduling issues in the earlier rounds as well. Due to inclement weather, Samsonova played back-to-back matches on Friday, August 11, to reach the final four. Meanwhile, the Kazakh endured a 3 a.m. finish to her quarterfinal match against Daria Kasatkina on the same day.
Several fans criticized the "terrible" scheduling, highlighting its blatant unfairness towards Rybakina and Samsonova, as it would allow Pegula to gain a significant advantage over her eventual opponent.
"Terrible scheduling. Completely unfair to either Samsonova or Rybakina. Total advantage to Pegula on fresh legs. Do better!" a fan tweeted.
"That's ridiculous. Just hand Pegula the title," another fan chimed in.
A user pointed out that if Rybakina and Samsonova's clash extends to three hours, the winner would only have an hour's worth of rest before the title clash.
"So they playing 1:30pm. The match could be 3 hours long and they back out an hour later? EMBARRASSING," a user commented.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
"I am destroyed" - Elena Rybakina after 3 a.m. victory over Daria Kasatkina in Canadian Open QF
Elena Rybakina defeated Daria Kasatkina 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(8) to advance to the semifinals of the 2023 Canadian Open. The three-hour and 27-minute-long encounter ended just five minutes shy of 3 a.m. in Montreal.
Following her win over Kasatkina, the Kazakh admitted that she was "destroyed". The 24-year-old also expressed her gratitude to the crowd for their passionate support despite the late finish.
"I am destroyed guys! But thank you so much for everyone who stayed so late. It’s really amazing that you supported us," Elena Rybakina said.
Elena Ryakina will be aiming for a more straightforward victory over Liudmila Samsonova in the semifinal to ensure her physical readiness for the title clash against Jessica Pegula.
