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(CNN) The US Open tennis championship was battered by the remnants of Hurricane Ida on Wednesday, causing a match to be suspended as rain poured down on the stadium roof.
Kevin Anderson and Diego Schwartzman’s second-round singles match was interrupted early in the second set as water entered through several openings in the roof of Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The contest was then moved to Arthur Ashe Stadium and ended just after 1 a.m. ET with Schwartzman winning in straight sets 7-6 6-3 6-4.
“Thank you all for staying tonight,” Schwartzman said during his field interview.
“Crazy time. (It was) very difficult before the game. We were talking not only because we wanted to play, (but) also because the security and the government, the police, everyone (who) was involved in it. the decision to come to this court. “
Rain falls on Louis Armstrong Stadium during the second round match between Diego Schwartzman and Kevin Anderson.
New York City declared a state of emergency early Thursday morning as the northeastern region was hit by high winds and heavy rain.
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At least 11 people have died in New York, New Jersey and Maryland from inclement weather.
Newark, New Jersey had its wettest day in recorded history on Wednesday, and Central Park also recorded its wettest hour with 3.15 inches of rain between 8:51 p.m. and 9:51 p.m. ET.
As the rain fell on Flushing Meadows, fans turned to ponchos and umbrellas to ward off the elements. Blowers were turned on to clean the water from the courts and ball collectors also cleaned the surface with towels.
The team members do their best to skip the court.
There were two rain delays in the 108-minute first set between Schwartzman and Anderson before the game was suspended three points from the second set.
It resumed following the conclusion of the match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Adrian Mannarino on Arthur Ashe, who has a roof.
“I could hear (the rain),” Tsitsipas told reporters after his 6-3 6-4 7-6 6-0 win. “At first I thought it was the crowd, the people talking in the back seats, but now… I just realized it wasn’t the crowd, it was the rain. Just a lot of noise coming from. up there.
“Anyway, I have a bed here so I could spend a slumber party here tonight.”
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Schwartzman celebrates his victory in the second round.
The match between Angélique Kerber and Anhelina Kalinina, which was scheduled to take place at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Wednesday, has been postponed until Thursday.
“Crazy rain and flooding in New York. Stuck at Arthur Ashe Stadium … Hope everyone stays safe,” former ski star Lindsey Vonn wrote on Twitter.
With limited train services leaving from stations near Flushing Meadows, the United States Tennis Association said it was working with New York authorities to identify routes for fans to return home from the site.
The US Open issued a statement Thursday, delaying the opening of the gates and the start times of the games, declaring: “The safety of our fans, our players and our staff is of the utmost importance … The current plan will not open the doors until 11:00 am . “
Later, the organizers said the game would start at noon local time and said the safety of those on the pitch was “of the utmost importance”.
CNN’s Jill Martin contributed reporting.
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