Tennis:Conor Niland's Australian Open campaign was put on ice overnight as inclement weather in Melbourne, including hailstone showers, forced the postponement of a number of first round qualifiers. The Irish number one, who is up against Switzerland's Stephane Bohli, is due back on court at 10am tomorrow morning (11pm this evening, Irish time).
Niland, who has made the main draw for Wimbledon and US Open, has yet to make it through to an Australian Open proper and faces a tough assignment in the first of three qualifying rounds against Bohli, a player ranked 68 places above him in the current ATP rankings.
Meanwhile, Germany's top-ranked tennis player Andrea Petkovic has pulled out of the tournament with a stress fracture.
"Sorry to announce that I had to withdraw from the Australian Open with a lower back stress fracture," the 24-year-old said in a post on her Twitter account. "Going back home, will miss my Aussie fans!"
The world number 10 suffered a knee injury in October, but returned to play her first WTA tournament at Brisbane last week where she made the quarter-finals. She was dumped out of the Sydney International in the second round on Tuesday by Pole Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets.
Petkovic, famous on tour for her post-match victory dances, upset Maria Sharapova on the way to the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park last year where she was stopped by eventual finalist Li Na. The 10th seed's withdrawal came shortly after seven-times grand slam winner Venus Williams pulled out, also citing health reasons.
Williams has been receiving treatment for Sjogren's syndrome, an auto-immune disease that causes fatigue and joint soreness. A number of other contenders in the women's draw head into the year's first grand slam under injury clouds, including champion Kim Clijsters with a strained hip muscle, and fellow former world number one Serena Williams, who twisted her ankle in Brisbane last week.