Time interrupts the U.S. Open game at Louis Armstrong Stadium despite the retractable roof

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NEW YORK: Rain ran through the gaps in the roof of Louis Armstrong Stadium Wednesday night, which disrupted second-round play at the U.S. Open.

Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium are the only Flushing Meadows fields that can be covered during bad weather, but even that was a problem, as the wind helped push the rain down. space between the lobby and Armstrong’s retractable deck. After two hours of constant rain, the stadium was completely soaked, stopping the game on the court of the show.

ESPN analyst Darren Cahill recounted the events in a series of tweets.

The match between double main finalist Kevin Anderson and 11th seed Diego Schwartzman was suspended with Schwartzman leading 7-6 (4), and Ashe resumed after the conclusion of the 6-3, 6- 4, 6- by Stefanos Tsitsipas. 7 (4), 6-0 win over Adrian Mannarino.

Schwartzman eventually won 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round, with the game ending just after 1 a.m. Thursday.

The match between Angelique Kerber and Anhelina Kalinina, initially scheduled to follow Anderson and Schwartzman to Armstrong, was postponed until Thursday later.

Schwartzman had no interest in such scenarios.

“I was ready to play and I wanted to finish [Wednesday], not finished [Thursday]. You never know what might happen, ”he said.

The Louis Armstrong Stadium, which has 14,000 seats, was upgraded before the 2018 US Open with a naturally ventilated roof.

Fans who attended Wednesday night received warnings of returns and floods saying, “This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing a flooded area or under an evacuation order.” . As the rain got worse, spectators hid under umbrellas or left the tennis center.

Subway stations and tracks were flooded so the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended all service and New York City issued a travel ban until 5 a.m. Thursday for all non-emergency vehicles. .

Shortly after midnight on Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she was declaring a state of emergency. “to help New Yorkers affected by tonight’s storm. “

The National Weather Service recorded 3.15 inches of rain in New York’s Central Park in one hour, far exceeding the 1.94 inches that fell in an hour during Tropical Storm Henri on August 22, which was then he believed it was the most registered in the park.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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