Rain washes out US Open qualifying as roof saves mixed doubles

As organisers cut their losses early, persistent rain nearly wiped out the day’s US Open qualifying.

Before it was decided to halt play for the day, it was around 16:00 local time (21:00 BST), only 14 of the 64 second-round qualifying matches could have started on Wednesday.

The semi-final and final will be protected by the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium, with no weather having an impact on the new-look mixed doubles’ climax.

Jodie Burrage and Jay Clarke, both from Great Britain, were among the few qualifiers who had earlier a chance to appear in court.

After 41 minutes of play, Burrage, who had advanced to the second round in 2023, was forced to concede a 5-3 lead to Dutch rival Arantxa Rus.

The scoreline also showed Clarke’s complacency in the matchup with Arthur Cazaux, the top seed in France.

Billy Harris, Francesca Jones, Harriet Dart, and Oliver Crawford, two other Britons, did not even leave the court.

The rest of Wednesday is expected to be rainy, before it will stop on Thursday.

The three qualifying rounds will close on Sunday with the singles main draws taking place.