Saturated Surface At US Open Forces Roddick-Ferrer Match To Court 13
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — Andy Roddick's match against David Ferrer at the U.S. Open has been moved to tiny Court 13 because of a problem with water gathering on the surface of the court in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
After two days of rain at the Grand Slam tournament, Roddick and Ferrer were halted after 10 minutes Thursday. They got two games in before Roddick pointed out a spot where water was seeping up onto the playing surface.
"We've had an inordinate amount of rain, and the rubber mat just beneath the surface of the court is completely saturated," U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier said. "The sun is sucking that moisture out of the ground, and the water is actually coming through the surface."
Chair umpire Carlos Bernardes climbed down to take a look, while a ball boy wiped the area with a white towel. Ferrer walked around the net to that side of the court to check out the troublesome patch.
Eventually, Bernardes suspended play in the fourth-round match, announcing to spectators: "We cannot continue the match. We have some problems with the court. It has become dangerous for the players to keep playing."
As workers began trying to figure out how to fix things, Roddick turned to Ferrer and said: "It's going to be at least 45 minutes to an hour. I say we go back to the locker room."
And so they left.
Tournament referee Brian Earley made his way out to Louis Armstrong Stadium to look at the problem.
Roddick and Ferrer originally were supposed to begin their match Tuesday, when showers washed out all action. On Wednesday, they managed to get in about 15 minutes of play, with Roddick taking a 3-1 lead, before rain caused a suspension.
Shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday, they finally resumed, but they played less than 10 minutes.
And now they resume again, shifting from the tournament's second-biggest arena holding 10,103 seats to its smallest show court with 584 seats.
Tournament director Jim Curley said Wednesday that all four remaining fourth-round matches would need to be completed Thursday in order to finish the tournament on time. The men's final is scheduled for Sunday.
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