29 Aug 2011

US Open expected to start on time

9:18 am on 29 August 2011

The US Tennis Open is set to start on time tonight after New York dodged the full fury of Hurricane Irene.

The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm after it lashed the city over the weekend, and flood waters in lower lying areas started receding just under 24 hours before the scheduled start time at Flushing Meadows, 3 o'clock tomorrow morning.

New Zealand's Marina Erakovic will play the unseeded Croatian Mirjana Lucic in the opening round of the singles.