March 18 (Reuters) - All first-round matches at the Miami Open scheduled for Wednesday were cancelled due to rain in South Florida and will be rescheduled, the tournament said.
Organisers had hoped the weather might improve to allow for a night session featuring American Venus Williams and Britain's Francesca Jones followed by Italy's Matteo Berrettini facing Frenchman Alexandre Muller, but the ocean-blue Grandstand court was rendered unplayable due to the relentless downpour.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and 13th-ranked Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic are the defending champions at the WTA 1000 and ATP Masters 1000 event, the second leg of the "Sunshine Double" that comes on the heels of the Indian Wells tournament in the Southern California desert.
(Reporting by Rory CarrollEditing by Toby Davis)
