US Open temperature makes officials partially close roof - ESPN

NEW YORK — On the hottest day yet at the US Open, as temperatures soared to 95 degrees Fahrenheit with more than 50% humidity, tournament officials partially closed the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium to provide shade for Wednesday's quarterfinal matches between Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen, and Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.

«Brutal conditions for both of us,» Medvedev said after his 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over Rublev, adding that he had a difficult time seeing the ball after the first set. «I mean, I don't know if it could be seen through the camera, because we are sweating so much and use a lot of towels, I have no skin left on my nose here. And here, it's red, but it's not because of the sun. I just saw Andrey in the locker room and his face is very red, and it's also not because of the sun.»

Throughout the men's match, which began around 1:45 pm ET, both players were clearly suffering from the heat. Medvedev needed two medical timeouts in which he used an inhaler, and both men used fans and ice packs throughout the match to cool their bodies. At one point, Medvedev looked into a TV camera and said, «One player is going to die, and then they're going to see.»

Not every player, however, felt hampered by the New York heat. Zheng, whose match ended around 1 p.m., said she did not find the temperatures in New York to be particularly bothersome. «For me, it is not hot at all,» Zheng said after losing in straight sets to Sabalenka. «I wouldn't even consider this weather hot. I mean, this is a good temperature.»

The move to partially shut the roof came one day after US Open officials adopted a new policy for the remainder of this year's tournament to do so in extreme conditions to protect the players and fans. The decision