Semi-Finals Day at the Foro Italico hit an abrupt pause on Friday afternoon as heavy rain swept across Rome, forcing players off the courts and suspending all play. The skies opened up at around 16:10 CET, bringing the first men’s semi-final to a sudden halt, and it did not look like a passing shower.

Casper Ruud and Luciano Darderi’s clash was the unfortunate victim of the downpour. The Norwegian had built a 4-1 lead and was holding advantage-40 on Darderi’s serve, one point away from establishing a dominant 5-1 grip, when the rain made further play impossible. Groundstaff hurried out onto the Campo Centrale to hoist the familiar red tarpaulin across the court, and fans in the stands waited with their umbrellas in hand. 

Play will be resumed in about 45 to 60 minutes, but the wait may be longer if the weather is not suitable. The Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski vs Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic doubles quarterfinal contest is also caught in the disruption. 

More critically, the rain puts a cloud over the big event of the evening. Jannik Sinner’s semifinal against Daniil Medvedev was scheduled not to start before 7 pm local time, and with the rain delay, the second semifinal will definitely be pushed deeper into the night. Regarding the late-night sessions, Sinner made his feelings clear after his quarterfinal win over Andrey Rublev, saying: “When you go out on the court so late, it’s difficult to play good tennis.” 

The timing could not be more inconvenient. Sinner leads his head-to-head with Medvedev 9-7, and arrives at the semi-final riding a record 32-match winning streak at the Masters 1000 level. He, however, appeared to be physically drained following his quarter-final victory on Thursday, and has opened up about his need to recuperate. Due to a long rainy spell, this late start might not be the worst thing for him. 

Medvedev, meanwhile, returns from a hard-fought two-hour 22-minute victory over Martin Landalue, which had its own rain interruption. The Russian will be feeling the fatigue too, but a delayed start at least gives both players additional time to rest their legs. 

For now, Rome waits. The tarps have been set up, the umbrellas are up, and the fans will have to wait just a bit longer to see the main event.