Rain stops briefly, starts again at U.S. Open

NEW YORK -- Rain briefly stopped Wednesday afternoon at the U.S. Open, allowing former champion and sixth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro to jump ahead 2-1, 30-15, with a service break over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

But the rain returned, and matches were suspended once again.

Elsewhere, Venus Williams and Zheng Jie are 15-15 at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Niclas Mahut, who is most noted for playing American John Isner in the longest tennis match in history -- one that extended through three days at Wimbledon -- has announced his retirement after this U.S. Open. He is down 6-4, 6-4, 2-2 to Michael Youzhny of Russia, so retirement might be soon after it stops raining again.

James Blake, the American who has also announced he will retire after the Open, hasn’t taken the court yet. American Tim Smyczek is down, 3-1, in the first set to Australian James Duckworth.

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