The new $200 million high-tech retractable roof at the Arthur Ashe Stadium has been getting plenty of use at the US Tennis open but it's also attracted plenty of complaints.
Andy Murray has easily advanced to the third round. Photo: Photosport
The roof amplifies noise inside the cavernous 24 thousand seast stadium leaving umpires pleading for quiet and players unable to hear the ball coming off their racquets.
The new covering, which follows years of rain delays and postponements that often extended the year's final grand slam to an extra day, leaves the French Open as the only slam without a retractable roof, which they hope to put in place by 2020.
On the court the Wimbledon and Olympic champion Andy Murray, advanced to the third round with a 6-4 6-1 6-4.
The sixth seed Kei Nishikori of Japan battled past Russian qualifier Karen Khachanov in four sets.
while in the women's draw sixth seed Venus Williams beat Germany's beat Julia Goerges in straight sets.
Venus Williams Photo: Photosport
New York crowds, long recognised as the rowdiest in tennis, have created a unique problem not found in Wimbledon's more intimate setting where fans observe tennis etiquette or the Australian Open's Rod Laver Arena, which has about half the seating capacity (14,850) as Arthur Ashe.
The Ashe roof, an engineering challenge that took three years to complete, is part of an ongoing renovation of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which will include a second retractable roof stadium scheduled to be ready for 2018.
"This is New York," USTA executive director Gordon Smith told reporters. "Yes, there is crowd noise and yes, we want the crowds to come, we want them to be excited.
"We think that, over time, the fans will adjust and the players will adjust. It was obvious there would be more noise in a closed environment than in an open environment.
-Reuters
