Rain played spoilsport in Seoul at one of the more anticipated days of the Korea Open. All the singles quarterfinal matches scheduled for Friday were canceled due to persistent downpours. Among those delays: Iga Swiatek vs. Barbora Krejcikova, a marquee match lots of fans were looking forward to.
The tournament has been battling weather disruptions all week, and Friday’s washout was the latest blow. Because of the continuous rain, none of the singles players were able to take the court. As a result, the four quarterfinal matches were pushed into Saturday’s day session. That includes Swiatek vs. Krejcikova, and three other matchups involving Ekaterina Alexandrova, Ella Seidel, Clara Tauson, Maya Joint, Suzan Lamens, and Katerina Siniakova.
The semifinals are now scheduled for Saturday evening (not before 5 p.m. local time), assuming the weather improves. Meanwhile, the doubles quarterfinals didn’t suffer the same fate — they were moved indoors so they could go on despite the rain. Notably, Krejcikova and Siniakova (from Czechia), playing together for the first time since the 2024 Paris Olympics, will compete there.
For Swiatek and Krejcikova, the postponement adds a twist. Swiatek had just beaten Sorana Cirstea in straight sets to reach this point, while Krejcikova came through a tougher match, defeating Emma Raducanu in three sets. Both will now have a little more rest, but also more anticipation—and perhaps pressure—when they finally face off.
