After barely two days of calm, the US Open descended into chaos. Heavy rain hit New York on Tuesday, resulting in the suspension of multiple matches. Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadium are the only US Open venues with retractable roofs, so matches being played at all the other courts were affected by the grim weather. Some of these matches could have been completed if they were shifted to either of the two stadiums, which were empty at the time. But the tournament made a surprising call instead, which incensed prominent tennis insider Jose Morgado.

None of the matches were shifted to the stadiums, even though there was a three-hour window when they were empty. A total of 11 matches were delayed due to rain, and some of them could have definitely been completed if they were shifted to either of the two stadiums. Morgado was clearly unhappy with this decision as he called out the absurd scheduling of the tournament.

“3h20 hours till the next match on Arthur Ashe Stadium and the US Open decided not to move any match there,” he wrote on X. “Absolutely remarkable decision considering the (bad) forecast.”

The matches that were delayed included the clash between Paula Badosa and Daria Kasatkina, where the former was leading 6-1, 1-2. Local hero Iva Jovic’s encounter against Magdalena Frech also got delayed even before getting underway. On the men’s side, an end-to-end contest between Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Arthur Gea was halted when the Argentine was leading 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 2-5.

While the clash between Coco Gauff and Zeynep Sonmez was scheduled to be held at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the encounter between Gael Monfils and Adolfo Daniel Vallejo was set for the Louis Armstrong Stadium. Both of these matches were scheduled in the night session, so both stadiums remained empty for over three hours.

With most of the delayed matches yet to resume, there is a possibility of them being shifted to Wednesday if the weather doesn’t improve. This can turn out to be a nightmare for the players, as they won’t be able to get much rest before their next match.

It is unlikely that any of the delayed clashes will now be shifted to the stadiums, as they will be hosting more matches later in the day. Alexander Zverev will be taking on Lorenzo Sonego in the final match of the day at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Similarly, Alexandra Eala’s clash against Mary Stoiana will be the final match at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

All four Grand Slams face such scheduling issues when rain hits their courts. This is because not a single one of them has all their courts covered with retractable roofs. Only the main venues of the tournaments contain these roofs, so matches being played on other courts get delayed whenever the weather turns bad.