Hibino reaches final at rain-hit Prague Open

Japan’s Nao Hibino only needed five minutes yesterday to reach the final of the rain-hit Prague Open, which is due just minutes after her semifinal. Hibino, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser from qualifying, beat Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3 in a game that had started on Sunday before noon […]

Japan’s Nao Hibino only needed five minutes yesterday to reach the final of the rain-hit Prague Open, which is due just minutes after her semifinal.

Hibino, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser from qualifying, beat Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3 in a game that had started on Sunday before noon GMT.

The semifinal, which was already postponed from Saturday because of steady rain, started with a 3.5-hour delay on Sunday.

The match was then suspended after five hours and three disruptions as the 28-year-old, 136th-ranked Hibino was leading 5-2 in the third set with the score at 15-15 and Cristian serving.