Justine makes Safina dance in the rain

“If they’re happy to play then I’m happy to let ’em,” Earley said. With just one match having been completed all day, Earley had asked second seed Henin-Hardenne and Safina to leave centre court as light rain fell over Flushing Meadows. Incensed tennis fans, many who had waited all day in the rain, roared and howled their displeasure, jeering the referee. “We’re not going to get this match going,” Earley told colleagues on his walkie-talkie. “I am calling them off”

But Henin-Hardenne and Safina — sister of 2000 men’s champion Marat Safin — both indicated they wanted to play on in the light rain. Earley called them to the side of the court at the end of their warm-up as the crowd howled and screamed their displeasure. Rain continued to fall and the players sat in their chairs under umbrellas as Earley talked to colleagues on his walkie-talkie.

Both players burst out laughing as the crowd, reduced to a state of near-hysteria after a Labor Day spent waiting in the rain, danced and sang in the rain as their antics were beamed onto a giant screen in the stadium. Earley finally relented and allowed the players to begin. “She (Henin-Hardenne) said to me ‘no it’s fine, it’s okay,” Earley said.

“I don’t want to say the players made the decision but they certainly had input.” Belgian second seed Henin-Hardenne ousted Russian teen Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3 to reach her first US Open quarter-final. The Belgian waffled after winning the first 11 games before finally putting away Safina after 57 minutes.

By the time Henin-Hardenne’s match had got underway just before 2230 local time, only one match had been completed. Jennifer Capriati beat Russian 11th seed Elena Dementieva 6-2, 7-5 in a match lasting one hour 12 minutes but which spanned six hours 37 minutes because of interruptions.

All men’s matches were cancelled earlier in the evening. Spectators for the Flushing Meadows evening session were told they could exchange their tickets for days later in the week after the session.

Day session tickets holders had earlier been afforded the same privilege after a virtual washout on day eight of the $17.1 million Grand Slam. (Reuters)