Aryna Sabalenka, the World No.1, was temporarily bumped from her prime match slot at the Miami Open 2026 due to rain-induced scheduling chaos.
The Belarusian, fresh off her title run at Indian Wells Open, was shifted to the smaller Butch Buchholz Court after organisers considered rescheduling her match to accommodate Carlos Alcaraz's highly anticipated clash against Joao Fonseca.
Sabalenka expressed her shock at the suggestion of cancelling her match or giving her alternative stadium options, saying 'What's the problem for Alcaraz and Fonseca to start later?'
She insisted on playing as scheduled, prioritising recovery time for the later rounds and ultimately defeating Ann Li 7-6, 6-4 to advance to the third round.
The scheduling controversy comes just days after Sabalenka hit back at remarks from Salah Tahlak, who suggested stricter penalties for players skipping tournaments.
