"We have still got plenty of time," said Budge. "We still have the option of Monday if we need to, though the weather forecast looked pretty kind over the next two days. We will finish the tournament."
Players will be faced with two matches tomorrow, with the quarter-finals scheduled to start from 10am.
The semifinals are then set down for the afternoon, though they could start later in the day depending on the weather and the how long the quarter finals stretch out for.
Under WTA regulations, players are entitled to 'suitable rest' between matches, an arbitrary figure which in practice is usually several hours.
Sunday's final (set for 2:30pm with the doubles from midday) will also be a completely new event, meaning that fans that purchased tickets for tomorrow (which was initially set down as the final) won't be entitled to attend. However, they will have the bonus of seeing extra matches tomorrow, including the possibility of seeing top seed Caroline Wozniacki twice.
And fans with ground passes tomorrow (priced from $15) will have the rare chance to see former world No 2 Agnieszka Radwanska on an outside court, as well as world No 23 Barbora Strycova in her quarter-final.
Adding to the packed schedule, there are also eight first round qualifying matches for the men's ASB Classic set down for tomorrow, with three Kiwis in action.
Today was another nightmare for organisers. Play was scheduled to start at 10am but early morning rain meant that was never going to be feasible. There were revised times given throughout the day, as a smattering of spectators waited patiently in the grandstand. The players, who had arrived at 7am to prepare for the possibility of a morning start, spent the day hanging out in the players lounge. Around 2pm there was a brief window of hope as the rain ceased and courts were dried by an army of ballboys and volunteers. Tournament officials emerged to began preparations — and second seed Julia Goerges even wandered out onto the players balcony — but it was all in vain, as the precipitation began again a few minutes later.
The session was officially cancelled at 6:00pm.
*Thursday and Friday ticket holders whose sessions were abandoned due to rain will have a window of four hours to purchase new tickets for the Sunday session for the scheduled Women's doubles and singles finals. Ticket sales to the public will be opened at 2pm today. Thursday and Friday ticket holders should check their email inbox for pre-sale details. Tickets are on a first in first served basis and strictly limited.
