Day one of the Tradition ICAP Liverpool International Tennis Tournament finally got under-way this afternoon after rain delayed the start of the five day tournament.
The covers came off at three o'clock and Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) and Michelle Larcher De Brito (POR) began the opening match.
Under grey skies Eugenie served the opening game, but it was Michelle who found her feet quicker, breaking the Canadian. She then held serve and broke again as drops of rain began to fall.
Michelle served to take a 4-0 lead and with the Eugenie serving and the score 0-15 in the fifth game, the rain started to come down heavier. Tournament Referee Alan Mills called a halt to play and the ground staff moved quickly to pull the covers over centre court. It proved to be the correct decision as a dark cloud delivered a torrential downpour only minutes after the court was covered.
Tournament Director Anders Borg is still hopeful that play will resume today and the two players are waiting to restart.