U.S. Open updates: Play begins as sunshine replaces storms

Less than 12 hours after torrential rain, high winds and tornado warnings forced the suspension of play at Louis Armstrong Stadium, closed subway and commuter rail lines, and made driving hazardous in New York City and surrounding areas, the U.S. Open was back in business on Thursday.

Sunshine and temperatures in the low 70s prevailed, drying out the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. There were some puddles, while some traffic signs that had been blown over late Wednesday hadn’t been put back in place, but play began as scheduled at both Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium. Each had its roof open.

The No. 7 Flushing subway line — which takes fans to Mets games at nearby Citifield and to the tennis center — was back in operation, as was the Long Island Railroad. Some players had to wait in long lines for bus or van transport from Manhattan to the Tennis Center, but No. 1 women’s seed Ashleigh Barty and opponent Clara Tauson were ready for the start of their match at Ashe. The same was true at Louis Armstrong for No. 11 seed Belinda Bencic and Martina Trevisan. The Grandstand and outer courts also were busy.

Sloane Stephens, who impressively defeated Coco Gauff in straight sets Wednesday night, tweeted after her match that she had been stuck in flooding and traffic congestion for more than two hours as she tried to return to her Manhattan hotel.

“So we decided to stop and make the most of it,” she said, adding a pizza emoji and two photos of a mouth-watering pizza with multiple toppings. She later tweeted that she made it back to her hotel. “Praying everyone gets home safely,” she wrote.

The match between No. 16 seed Angelique Kerber and Anhelina Kalinina, which couldn’t be played Wednesday night at Louis Armstrong, was moved to Thursday afternoon at the Grandstand court.