Tropical storm could cause havoc over finals' weekend

It has been a glorious fortnight here at the US Open, with blue skies almost every day and barely a drop of rain, but all that is set to change today. The remnants of the tropical storm Hanna were due to hit the New York area last night and heavy downpours are expected today.

The weather could play havoc with the final weekend's schedule. The two men's semi-finals are due to be played back-to-back this afternoon, followed by the women's singles final in the evening session. The men's final is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

The United States Tennis Association has been making contingency plans. By lunchtime here yesterday they were still being kept under wraps, but it was believed that the men's final could be rescheduled for Monday. The last time the US Open was forced to go into an extra day because of bad weather was in 1987.

Ticket-holders for both of today's sessions have been advised that their tickets will "provide access to the same session at its rescheduled date and time". In a statement the organisers added: "The USTA has several contingency plans in place depending on the time and duration of the inclement weather. Those plans will be implemented and communicated as the forecast develops throughout the day on Friday."

By yesterday morning Hanna was heading towards the South Carolina coast and was already producing high winds and heavy rain from Florida in the south as far as North Carolina.

The storm was expected to spread northwards during the evening and to reach New York and other north-eastern cities during the night. Up to six inches of rain was predicted in some areas. However, due to the speed with which the storm was moving the bad weather was expected to clear by tomorrow morning.

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