WATCH: Play at US Open suspended as torrential rain drenches indoor court
Bizarre scenes engulfed the US Open on Wednesday as rain halted play on Court Louis Armstrong – which has a roof.
The New York area was hit by hurricane conditions and a tornado warning, meaning the only play possible was on Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong – the two courts with roofs.
However, during the match between Diego Schwartzman and Kevin Anderson, play had to be suspended multiple times as the wind blew rain into the building horizontally.
Update. Getting worse pic.twitter.com/ezVe9mSfep
— Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) September 2, 2021
Even with the new roof closed inside Louis Armstrong Stadium @usopen rain bursting through the roof in Tornado-like conditions. @usta @espn @barstoolsports @TennisChannel pic.twitter.com/C8iNNl4hhV
— Akiva Ackerman (@AkivaAckerman) September 2, 2021
That led to odd scenes where fans were reaching for umbrellas despite a roof overhead as the rain swept into the building.
Court Louis Armstrong has gaps just below the roof to allow for greater ventilation, and it was those gaps which was allowing in the weather.
The rain is expected to be in the area all day Thursday too, which means the US Open could be facing a significant backlog of matches once play on the outside courts can resume.
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