Rain halted third-round qualifying at the U.S. Open Thursday afternoon, stopping several matches in progress and threatening to compress an already tight schedule two days before the main draw opens.
Play stopped across the outer courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center around 1 p.m. ET, with the tournament’s live scoring system marking a wave of contests “Suspended.” Qinwen Zheng, the No. 14 seed and a former Grand Slam finalist, was midway through her match against Elena Pridankina on Stadium 17 when the skies opened over Flushing Meadows.
The Open announced that play would not resume prior to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, but the announcement did not give a time for play to start again. But at 2:10 p.m. the edgeAI tennis account posted, “Still raining at the US Open Qualifying matches. No play before 3pm local time, could be a longer delay.”
However, 3 p.m. came and went with no new updates on when play would resume at the U.S. Open. But at about 2:45, edgeAI posted, “Drying started on some courts at the US Open qualifying. IF no more rain they should be able to resume play in 45-60 mins or so (estimate).”
On the other hand, AccuWeather forecast for the USTA Center showed thundershowers continuing through 4 p.m., with a. severe thunderstorm watch in effect through 8 p.m. with a flood watch until 11 p.m.
“Rain has already halted the final round of U..S Open qualifying,” wrote The Tennis Talk shortly after 2 p.m. ET. “With more intermittent showers forecast from Sunday night through Wednesday evening — especially heavy rain on Monday—the U.S. Open 2026 could face a hectic opening round. Scheduling chaos may be inevitable.”
“Courts still soaked. Still raining,” posted tennis writer Jacob Pacheco at about 2:20 p.m.
“Looks clear this evening so we might have primetime qualifying,” speculated the Tennis Updates online account.
Forecast Offers Little Relief Before Main Draw
Showers and thunderstorms carrying a 60% chance of rain were forecast for Thursday afternoon across Queens, with some storms expected to turn severe, according to the National Weather Service’s Thursday afternoon outlook. A flood watch remained active for Queens and the Bronx into the evening, with the agency warning of localized downpours capable of dumping up to three-quarters of an inch of rain in a short span.
Rain chances were expected to persist into the night before easing somewhat Friday, though a lingering 30% chance of storms still hovered over the region, the National Weather Service noted. Organizers had made no announcement on resumption as of early afternoon, typically opting to wait until courts dry sufficiently for safe play to continue.
Whatever qualifying matches don’t finish Thursday will need to wrap up before Sunday, when the US Open main draw begins and determines the final 16 men’s and 16 women’s spots in the 128-player fields. That leaves a narrow window for players like Zheng, Fearnley and Montgomery to complete their bids without the benefit of a full night’s rest between matches.
Qinwen Zheng and Others Left Waiting on Court
Jacob Fearnley’s third-round bid against Jurij Rodionov stalled on Court 5, and Coleman Wong’s match with Dusan Lajovic froze on Court 7, both according to Tennis Temple’s live order of play. Toby Samuel and Christian Garin were locked in a similarly unfinished battle on Court 9, each having split just a single game before the rain arrived.
Vilius Gaubas and Harry Wendelken got no further than a game apiece on Court 6. Daniel Rincon and Tomas Barrios Vera were pulled off Court 10 in an identical deadlock, while Aziz Dougaz and Andrea Guerrieri had at least worked through a set on Court 14 before the delay hit.
The women’s side saw its own pileup. Robin Montgomery’s clash with Cody Branstine sat suspended on Court 11, and G. Knutson’s match against E. Gorgodze went dark on Court 4. Most of the interrupted matches were still in their first or second sets when officials pulled players off the outer courts.
Thursday marked the scheduled finale of men’s and women’s singles qualifying, the last chance for 32 players to punch tickets into next week’s main draw. The tournament’s event schedule had qualifying starting at 11 a.m., with Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium — both equipped with retractable roofs — sitting unused. Qualifying is contested strictly on the uncovered outer courts, leaving no shelter once the storms rolled through the grounds.
The evening’s “Stars of the Open” exhibition, scheduled for 6 p.m. at Arthur Ashe Stadium, can still proceed under the venue’s closed roof regardless of the outer-court washout. Updates on when qualifying resumes will come through the tournament’s official scoring platform as conditions allow.
Why is the U.S. Open Delayed Today? When Will Play Start Again?