AP

Remnants of Hurricane Ida hit US Open, creating some chaos

Sep 1, 2021, 11:52 AM | Updated: Sep 2, 2021, 12:06 am

NEW YORK (AP) — Even a retractable roof at the U.S. Open was no match for the heavy rain and wind the remnants of Hurricane Ida carried to Flushing Meadows, knocking down tree limbs and causing flooding around the tournament grounds, while forcing a match to shift from one court to another after a delay of 2 1/2 hours.

“Crazy weather,” was the way 11th-seeded Diego Schwartzman summed things up after he managed to beat 2017 runner-up Kevin Anderson 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-4 in their interrupted contest to reach the third round as Wednesday became Thursday.

The National Weather Service office in New York declared its first-ever set of flash flood emergencies in the region, subway stations and tracks became so flooded that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended all service and New York City put in place a travel ban until 5 a.m. ET Thursday for all non-emergency vehicles.

Schwartzman and Anderson originally went out to start their match at Louis Armstrong Stadium before 7:30 p.m. — but did not finish until just past 1 a.m. at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Those are the only two arenas at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center outfitted with covers that can be moved into place and allow competition to proceed when Mother Nature causes problems.

Usually, anyway.

The problem Wednesday: Armstrong, a 14,000-seat stadium that was updated ahead of the 2018 U.S. Open, was equipped with a naturally ventilated roof — and the space purposely left between the concourse and the top allowed the rain to get blown onto the court by strong wind.

So folks popped open umbrellas while sitting under the roof, and Anderson and Schwartzman were halted at 5-all in the first set while workers dried the court. Play resumed, then was stopped again early in the second set. The tournament then gave up on the idea of finishing at Armstrong and decided to move things to Ashe — once the in-progress match there between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Adrian Mannarino ended.

Wednesday’s last scheduled match in Armstrong, between Angelique Kerber and Anhelina Kalinina, was postponed until Thursday.

Schwartzman had no interest in that sort of scenario.

“I was ready to play and I wanted to finish today, not finish tomorrow. You never know what can happen,” said Schwartzman, a 5-foot-7 Argentine who reached the semifinals at last year’s French Open and twice has been a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Open. “I was trying to push … to play tonight.”

Then, since things were running so simply and smoothly as it is, Mannarino grabbed the third set in a tiebreaker that ended just past 11 p.m. to prolong that match and, in turn, delay the continuation of Anderson vs. Schwartzman.

On top of that, Tsitsipas headed off court for a toilet break, as is his wont. Eight minutes elapsed before the fourth set could start, and Mannarino got a bunch of tennis balls so he could hit some practice serves to keep his shoulder loose. Tsitsipas returned to boos from spectators.

At least things were expedited from there. Tsitsipas rolled through a 6-0 fourth set in a mere half-hour, and Anderson and Schwartzman wasted little time getting out on Ashe.

The rain made quite a racket as it pounded against the outside of Ashe’s roof.

“Just a lot of noise coming from up there,” Tsitsipas said.

___

More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Remnants of Hurricane Ida hit US Open, creating some chaos