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Houston, we have a problem. A weather-related issue to be specific.

On Friday, organizers at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship were forced to call off play for a third day running due to persistent rain. A first-rounder that saw Max Purcell claim two games in finishing off Daniel Altmaier, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, on Court 7 was the lone action any spectators saw on the grounds. More rain was forecast to hit Friday evening.

“We have had several inches of rain in the past two days that have saturated our courts and these unseasonably cool temperatures are slowing down the drying process,” tournament director Bronwyn Greer said in a released statement.

“We want to ensure that our courts are in the best possible condition to complete our tournament this weekend, and with that in mind we have decided to forgo play today with the exception of that first-round match that is deep into the third set.”

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Players were already due to pull double duty on Friday. Now with the backlog, it will be required on both weekend days—and that’s if Mother Nature decides to cooperate. The second round and quarterfinals are slated for Saturday, with the hope of getting the semifinals and final completed on Sunday.

Just two second-round encounters had begun Thursday—Gijs Brouwer led No. 4 seed John Isner, 6-4, 5-6, while No. 4 seed J.J. Wolf and Denis Kudla were tied at 4-4.

As for doubles: Saturday’s plan includes staging the quarterfinals, before playing out the semifinals and final on Sunday.

Single session tickets for either of Friday’s cancelled sessions are eligible to apply for a refund or exchange for the same session in 2024.