U.S. Open hampered by rain

By Ben Walker

NEW YORK | Amelie Mauresmo wiped raindrops from her face and Lleyton Hewitt nearly skidded into a split as bad weather played havoc with the U.S. Open on a stop-and-go Tuesday.

More than 50 matches were postponed, including Maria Sharapova’s opener. Showers and a shaky forecast pushed back a remembrance of Hurricane Katrina on the one-year anniversary to Wednesday.

The start of play was delayed 3 1/2 hours by rain, giving sleepy-eyed fans extra time to recover after watching Andre Agassi finish off his first-round win at 12:30 a.m. EDT. Light but persistent rain forced two suspensions and left the courts empty by late afternoon.

No matches came close to completion. The nine that were in progress were to be picked up — whenever — at the point they were stopped.

“It can be tough when you’re waiting around all day,” said 13th-seeded Mary Pierce, still waiting to begin her match against Elena Vesnina of Russia. “Sometimes you have to be ready in 20 minutes after you’ve been waiting for hours.”

The top-seeded Mauresmo won her opening set against unheralded Kristina Barrois 6-1, but was trailing 2-5 in the second when play was halted for a second time.

Mauresmo was hoping to add a third Grand Slam title this year, having won the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Barrois was making her U.S. Open debut, and had said her goal was to move into the top 100.

Only a few thousand fans were in Arthur Ashe Stadium when the match began. Those sitting in the upper deck were allowed to move down to the lower, pricey seats. That didn’t stop them from booing, however, when play was stopped.

Hewitt, the 2001 U.S. Open champion, and Albert Montanes were tied at 5 in the first set when it was suspended. That came right after Hewitt’s right foot slid on the slippery baseline and he almost when into a split.

Other players who managed to get on court included 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina, up-and-coming French teen Gael Monfils and Americans Meghann Shaughnessy and Jamea Jackson.