In this July 14, 2015, file photo, Washington Kastles’ Venus Williams hits the ball to Austin Aces’ Nicole Gibbs during a team tennis match in Washington. After waiting out a lengthy rain delay, Germany’s Sabine Lisicki defeated Williams 6-0, 6-3 Monday, Aug. 10, in their first-round match at the Rogers Cup. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
TORONTO — After waiting out a lengthy rain delay, Germany’s Sabine Lisicki defeated Venus Williams 6-0, 6-3 Monday in their first-round match at the Rogers Cup.
“I really had an off day,” Williams said. “It was definitely a long wait and tough to not warm up. My opponent and I were under the same conditions, and she played really well.”
Rain washed out most of the matches scheduled in the women’s half of the draw, and Williams and Lisicki didn’t take the court until after 10 p.m. local time.
When they did, the 14th-seeded Williams wasn’t sharp, giving away more than a half-dozen points on double faults.
Lisicki was strong in her service game and rarely made the kind of mistakes that cost Williams.
Fans who waited out the rain tried to encourage Williams during her struggles.
“Against Venus you have to play well to be able to beat her,” Lisicki said. “You have to be ready and fight for every point, and I’m very pleased with my performance.”
Lisicki looked at the draw and knew she had to be prepared from the start of the tournament. She didn’t know she’d have to wait more than three hours from the scheduled start time to get going.
Instead of her usual rain-delay ritual of pingpong, the 24th-ranked player in the world played a game of UNO. After being so dominant against Williams, Lisicki might have to try that again.
During the match, some fans cheered on Lisicki, but many tried to encourage Williams as she struggled.
“It’s hard to just, first round, play a player who doesn’t give you any rhythm,” Williams said. “Just a tough draw and bad luck.”
Only one other singles match was completed Monday, as Italy’s Flavia Pennetta defeated Ottawa’s Gabriel Dabrowski 6-4, 6-1 on center court.
The weather forced a crowded schedule for Tuesday, which will feature Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic on center court to start the night session.
Top-ranked Serena Williams faces Pennetta in a second-round match on Tuesday afternoon.
American Madison Brengle will face Canada’s Carol Zhao in the afternoon after their match was rained out Monday.