WATCH: Torrential Rain from Hurricane Ida Disrupts Indoor Tennis Match in Wild Scene at US Open

Brandon ContesSep 2nd, 2021, 9:54 am
 

Remnants of Hurricane Ida brought deadly rain into the northeast Wednesday night. As it wreaked havoc on New York City, the torrential rain created one of the most bizarre scenes ever at the US Open.

Not only did the storm’s strength flood the streets, but the powerful rain found its way inside at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing. Despite having its retractable roof closed, fans inside the stadium turned to ponchos and umbrellas as rain poured inside, causing two delays during the match between Diego Schwartzman and Kevin Anderson.

“You can’t play in this, it’s crazy,” announcer Jason Goodall said during the broadcast on ESPN.

“You can see very clearly that it’s coming in through the ventilation on both sides,” Goodall later added. “It’s just whether it’s falling enough on court to stop play. But obviously if one of the players in this situation thinks it’s unsafe then you’ve got to be fair to both.”

The rain ultimately fell on the court enough to stop play twice during a 108-minute first set. With Louis Armstrong’s retractable roof unable to keep the court dry, Schwartzman and Anderson eventually resumed play at Arthur Ashe Stadium following the match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Adrian Mannarino. Schwartzman outlasted Anderson in the bizarre match, winning three straight sets.

The newly-built Louis Armstrong Stadium opened in 2018 as a 14,000-seat tennis venue. Arthur Ashe Stadium is the US Open’s main stadium, with a capacity of 23,771 and a roof that was able to keep the court dry.

While the rain made its way through the retractable roof during ESPN’s broadcast from Louis Armstrong Stadium, fans shared much more stunning videos of Hurricane Ida’s impact on the tennis match.

Watch above via ESPN

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