PARIS: Yes, they actually managed to complete a match on this wettest of weeks at the French Open. Two, even.

And both involved surprises: Two of the top half-dozen seeded women lost their last-16 clashes within minutes of each other, second seed Agnieszka Radwanska and sixth seed Simona Halep after opening healthy leads on Sunday night.

But after Monday was washed out, they were forced back out Tuesday despite the rain never really relenting and slumped to bad-tempered defeats.

“I’m just so surprised and angry that we have to play in the rain. I mean, it’s not a $10,000 tournament. It’s a Grand Slam,” raged Polish star Radwanska after her 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Bulgaria’s world number 102 Tsvetana Pironkova. Radwanska had been 6-2, 3-0 up on Sunday night. “How can you allow players to play in the rain?,” said the former Wimbledon runner-up after her loss on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

“I don’t think they really care what we think. I think they care about other things.”

Halep, beaten in the 2014 final by Maria Sharapova, suffered a 7-6 (7/0), 6-3 defeat to former US Open champion Samantha Stosur of Australia.

The Romanian had been 5-3 up when their contest was suspended on Sunday.

“I have no words. It was impossible to play, in my opinion. And to play tennis matches during the rain I think it’s a bit too much,” said the Romanian after her loss on Court One.

“The the court was not good. The balls were wet, completely wet during the match. So I think it’s too difficult to play tennis in these conditions. I felt some pain, yeah, in my back, in my Achilles.

“I didn’t feel sure on court, safe on court.”

They were the only two matches completed in the two hours play possible by early Tuesday evening with play starting an hour late as rain continued to fall on Paris after the tournament had suffered its first complete washout in 16 years on Monday.

Men’s top seed and world number one Novak Djokovic was 3-6, 6-4, 4-1 ahead of 14th seed Roberto Bautista Agut on Court Philippe Chatrier in his last-16 clash when play was halted again.

The Serb lost the opening set to the Spaniard when play was halted at 12:47 pm local time for the first time.

After an interruption lasting two hours and 45 minutes, the players resumed and Djokovic wasted no time in regaining the lead, only for the match to be stopped again.

Holders Serena Williams and Stan Wawrinka and British second seed Andy Murray, who takes on local favourite Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals, are also on the day’s schedule.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2016