New York, Aug 21 (IANS) – Persistent rain disrupted play at the US Open, forcing the cancellation of all qualifying matches scheduled for Wednesday. Only 45 minutes of action were possible, with six men’s matches underway, before play was halted for good.
Players still in the qualifying draw include youngsters Dino Prizmic, Alexander Blockx, Rei Sakamoto, Martin Landaluce, Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, as well as tour veterans Bernard Tomic, Lloyd Harris and Jan-Lennard Struff.
While singles qualifying was washed out, the mixed doubles event went ahead under the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium. No. 3 seeds Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud produced a surprise victory, edging top seeds Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper 3-5, 5-3, [10-8] to reach their first mixed doubles final.
Defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori later beat Americans Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison 4-2, 4-2 in the second semifinal. The Italian duo will now face Swiatek and Ruud in the title clash, with USD 1 million in prize money at stake.
The revamped mixed doubles format – featuring sets to four games (with tiebreaks at 4-4) and a 10-point match tiebreak instead of a third set – has been drawing strong crowds at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The final will follow a traditional format of six-game sets, with a 10-point tiebreak deciding the championship if the match is split.
