NEW YORK: Top seed Amelie Mauresmo was having a difficult time with German qualifier Kristina Barrois when rain washed out play at the U.S. Open here on Tuesday.

Mauresmo, trying to win her third Grand Slam title of the year, won the first set 6-1 but trailed 5-2 in the second.

The second day's play began three-and-a-half hours late because of the wet weather and then only about an hour of play was possible.

Endless wait

Mary Pierce, winner of two Grand Slam crowns, was scheduled to face Russian Elena Vesnina in the first round and was forced to play the waiting game.

``Well, there's not much you can do, and there's not a lot of places you can go,'' said Pierce, who waited at least seven hours before her match was cancelled.

``I just try to stay in the locker room, make sure that I drink, make sure that I eat, rest, take naps, listen to music, read, maybe make some phone calls or send some text messages. Just wait.''

Pierce said it ``can be tough when you're waiting all day. When it's your time to play, sometimes you have to be ready in 20 minutes when you've been waiting for a few hours. Sometimes it's tough to get going after that.

``It's not the first time I've been in these situations before. It's just good training for your patience and your mental training, I guess,'' she added.

Skidding and stopping

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia was level with Spain's Albert Montanes 5-5 in the opening set at the Louis Armstrong Stadium before a misty rain began to fall.

Hewitt, the 2001 Open champion, skidded badly on the baseline and had a discussion with the chair umpire before play was suspended.

On the grandstand, Frenchman Gael Monfils took the first set from American Michael Russell 6-2 before they were forced to take cover.

It's days like Tuesday, when rain creates chaos with the schedule, that players, fans, TV executives and tournament organisers turn their thoughts to having a roof over their heads.

``We're all frustrated,'' John McEnroe told viewers on USA Network. ``That's obvious.''

The Australian Open already has a retractable roof over two courts. Wimbledon is putting one over its Centre Court and it is expected to be ready for 2009.

The U.S. Open? ``At this point of time, there's no plan to build a roof over any of the three stadiums,'' U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier said.

As McEnroe put it: ``Who would have thought Wimbledon would have that before the U.S. Open?''

The proposal

The USTA did consider the idea, though. After the 2003 Open, when only four matches were completed over the first three days because of rain, it used part of a $50 million, tax-free capital improvement bond to pay for a study of what it would cost to add a roof to the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The answer: $70 to $100 million.

``The USTA board felt that's probably not the best investment of that kind of money,'' Widmaier said. ``It should be going to putting rackets into kids' hands.''

The other money from that $50 million bond was used to improve the lighting at the Armstrong Stadium, to redesign the south plaza, to do some landscaping, to upgrade infrastructure and to build new indoor practice courts, which are expected to be ready for the 2008 edition.

The old indoor courts have been torn down, leaving players looking to warm up on Tuesday at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to hit outside in the rain.

Of the 64 matches scheduled for Tuesday, 53 were postponed completely and not one could be completed. — Agencies

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