NEW YORK – Despite a brief flurry of play, defending US Open men’s singles champion Rafael Nadal will have to wait yet another day.
For the second straight day rain washed out play at the US Open, although three matches were started when the storm briefly subsided.
Gilles Muller of Luxembourg won the first three games against Nadal on Arthur Ashe Stadium court, while Andy Roddick took a 3-1 lead over Spain’s David Ferrer on Louis Armstrong. On the Grandstand, Donald Young led Andy Murray 2-1 as the two were on serve.
Nadal, Roddick and Murray complained to tournament officials about being made to play in what they felt were unsafe conditions. Although the courts appeared to be dry, there was a mist that eventually made the lines slippery and unable to continue play.
While waiting to see if conditions would improve, tournament officials announced the postponement of two men’s quarterfinals, top-ranked Novak Djokovic against his Serbian Davis Cup teammate Janko Tipsarevic and third-seeded Roger Federer against No. 11 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The matches that did get on court, although briefly, and the contest between Gilles Simon of France and American John Isner are all fourth-round matches, with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals.
There were no matches played Tuesday as rain covered almost the entire eastern seaboard. It was the time both the day and night sessions were canceled in their entirety at the US Open since Sept. 2, 2006.