The rivals had just begun the third set of their opening-round match when slippery conditions and the setting sun caused the match to be delayed to Tuesday.
Fans at the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt were denied a dramatic conclusion to the evening encounter between Elina Svitolina and Caroline Wozniacki: darkness caused the match to be suspended with Svitolina leading, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 2-1.
Svitolina had just nabbed a break in the deciding set in the wake of a harrowing fall from Wozniacki, who won the opening set, when it was announced that the match would conclude on Center Court Tuesday.
Svitolina and Wozniacki, who faced off earlier this month for an exhibition match in Denmark, played five times in their respective “first” careers (Svitolina leading 4-1) before each left the tour for periods of maternity leave. Svitolina gave birth to her first child, daughter Skaï, in 2022, while Wozniacki ostensibly retired for good in 2020 and had two children with husband David Lee.
Both returned to action in earnest last summer: Svitolina scored impressive runs through Roland Garros and Wimbledon, where she reached the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, while Wozniacki reached the second week of the US Open, losing to eventual champion Coco Gauff.