On Tuesday, the temperature climbed up to 32 degrees and the humidity was at 50 percent. It was the hottest and most humid day so far during the US Open in New York this year.
The heat and humidity were most evident during the quarter-final between Coco Gauff and Jelena Ostapenko and the conditions became so difficult that they crossed the line for when the organizers have to protect the players from the heat.
During the match, the officials made the decision to change the current policy and partially close the roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium where the quarterfinals were played. However, the ceiling never closed during the match as Coco Gauff made the process very short as she defeated Ostapenko 6–0, 6–2.
The tournament’s head referee, Jake Garner, told the AP that the new cap policy “is in the best interest of the fans and the players.”
— The immediate effect is that more spectators get shade, said Garner and continued:
— At the same time, the track ends up completely in the shade, which improves the conditions there.
The roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium was partially closed when Novak Djokovic defeated Taylor Fritz in their quarter-final encounter, but it was still noticeably hot and humid during the match.
— I’m drenched in sweat. It’s very humid, said Djokovic during the victory interview on the court.