BJK Cup to go ahead after extreme rain delay
Organisers say the Billie Jean King Cup will start on Thursday after a severe weather alert in southern Spain led to the opening tie between the hosts and Poland being postponed.
The two nations were set to play in Malaga at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Wednesday but will now meet on Friday.
Japan’s first-round tie against Romania is set to go ahead at 12:00 GMT on Thursday with Slovakia against USA to follow, not before 17:00.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said there had been a thorough site inspection by technical and security teams, and local authorities said a red weather alert would be lifted at 08:00 local time.
“We continue to closely monitor the weather conditions and will provide updates, as necessary,” it said.
Two weeks after flash floods caused devastation in eastern Spain, several areas of the nation were placed on alert again.
A new weather front brought heavy rain in Malaga on Wednesday and the ITF said the opening tie was postponed “to ensure the health and safety of all participants and attendees.”
The tie between Spain and Poland – who are led by five-time major champion Iga Swiatek – is now due to start at 09:00 GMT on Friday.
Great Britain’s first-round tie against Germany is due to take place on the same day from 16:00 and will be shown live on the BBC.
The Billie Jean King Cup is a 12-nation women’s team event where the winners will be crowned world champions.
It is taking place indoors at the Palacios de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena, with the final being contested on 20 November.
‘Malaga is very quiet – there is significant flooding’
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent
A visit to the perimeter of the site earlier today made it quite obvious there was no prospect of spectators being able to access the venue safely.
The purpose-built stadium has been erected in a shallow bowl and there was significant flooding around the entrance to the arena.
It was ankle deep in places when I visited at lunchtime and heavy rain continued for most of the afternoon.
We were not allowed inside the venue so it is not possible to say whether the interior or the court has been flooded.
Malaga is very quiet. The metro is suspended, some businesses have closed and it took us two hours to secure a taxi back into the city centre.
But after the terrible recent loss of life in eastern Spain, it is understandable everyone should be acting with the utmost caution.
