Rain Postpones U.S. Open Tennis Play

To claim a U.S. Open singles title, a player has to win seven straight matches against opponents with varied styles under difficult conditions, at times.

Now, it seems, they’ve added one more element to test the nerves.

Water torture.

These days, you can’t have a Grand Slam tournament without water. As in rain. The women’s singles final in Australia this year was delayed by rain and it took about 30 minutes to close the retractable roof. Wimbledon? There’s no such thing as a newfangled contraption like a retractable roof on those hallowed grounds. Wouldn’t fly there.

So the Boris Becker-Stefan Edberg singles final at Wimbledon in July was delayed by one day because of stormy weather.

The U.S. Open didn’t miss a beat as play was halted the opening day with only a few matches completed at the National Tennis Center. Since the first day of the Open’s first week started with rain, it only seemed appropriate that the sky opened for the beginning of the second week.

Sunday, however, not a ball was struck at Flushing Meadow. Just after 2 p.m., tournament officials announced the day was a wash.

Which means there will be 20 singles matches spread out on six courts today, including action involving the top four seeded men and the top three women. There is a slight chance of rain in the New York area. However, officials here aren’t worried about the schedule in the latter stages because it’s still early in the second week.

“We shouldn’t have any trouble getting them (the matches) in,” said tournament referee Gayle Bradshaw.

For a tennis gourmet, today’s schedule looks to be a virtual feast, with all the big names playing singles matches. No. 4-seeded Andre Agassi, the 18-year-old American hope, faces what could be his stiffest test here yet in the form of 30-year-old Johan Kriek, a one-time Open semifinalist. Kriek shouldn’t be bothered by playing a teen-ager, he’s beaten a 15-year-old, Tommy Ho, already here.

On the Grandstand Court, Steffi Graf takes on two-time National Collegiate Athletic Assn. champion Patty Fendick. What Fendick has going for her is a good forehand, a good serve, and the Grandstand Court.

Don’t expect the court to claim Graf as a victim today.

“Steffi’s awesome,” said two-time U.S. Open champion Tracy Austin. “She doesn’t have anything missing from her game this year. She’s 19, going for the Grand Slam and I don’t see anyone stopping her.”

Austin, too, is part of the schedule today. She and mixed doubles partner Ken Flach will play Luke Jensen and Ronni Reis in a second-round match. Austin-Flach won their first match without hitting a ball as top-seeded Jorge Lozano and Lori McNeil defaulted in the first round because Lozano said he was injured. He had just finished winning a five-set singles match.

In the women’s doubles, Austin also won a match with partner Mary Joe Fernandez. They defeated Nathalie Herreman and Maria Lindstrom, 7-6, 6-3, in the first round Saturday.

In all likelihood the best matches of the day should be on Court 16 at the National Tennis Center. No. 5 Gabriela Sabatini plays Stephanie Rehe, who finally has been realizing some of her potential this summer. Next is the popular Tim Wilkison, a.k.a. Dr. Dirt, against the new crowd favorite, 16-year-old Michael Chang of Placentia, in a third-round match.