Praise the roof: Murray avoids rain delay to beat Granollers at U.S. Open

The roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium was closed for a second straight men’s singles match, as Andy Murray beat Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 during second-round U.S. Open action on Thursday afternoon. After Rafael Nadal took care of Andreas Seppi in the first-ever contest under the closed roof on Wednesday night, Murray needed two hours and 22 minutes to join the Spaniard in the last 32.

Ultimately seeking his second title in New York City, the Scot had no trouble improving to 7-1 lifetime against Granollers (with the Spaniard’s lone win having come via retirement). As such, the big news–once again–was the roof.

“You can’t here anything, really,” Murray noted. “I mean, you could hear the line calls, but not so much when [Granollers] was hitting the ball or even when you’re hitting the ball, which is tough purely because we’re not used to it. That’s what makes it challenging. We use our ears when we play; it’s not just the eyes. It helps us pick up the speed of the ball, the spin that’s on the ball, how hard someone’s hitting it.

“You know, if we played with our ears covered or with headphones on, it would be a big advantage if your opponent wasn’t wearing them. It’s tricky; you can still do it, but it’s harder for sure.”

The rest of the courts, meanwhile, were delayed by several hours of rain. What developed into yet another five-setter was stopped with Janko Tipsarevic leading Pablo Carreno Busta by two sets while trailing 5-1 in the third. Upon resumption, Carreno Busta maintained control through the third, fourth, and into the fifth with a break in hand. Tipsarevic broke back and soon had a 15-40 look with his opponent serving at 3-4.

But it was all downhill for the veteran Serb from there. After missing that opportunity for a crucial break, Tipsarevic surrendered serve easily at 4-4 and Carreno Busta promptly held at 15 in the 10th game to seal a 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 comeback win.

Next up for the Spaniard is Dominic Thiem, who finally channeled the version of himself that had been on display throughout the first half of this season. Erasing the demons of his recent fatigue-induced slump, the 22-year-old Austrian thrashed Ricardas Berankis 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 55 minutes.

Thiem recorded 34 winners to 20 errors and broke Berankis six times while dropping his own serve just once.

Other winners on Thursday afternoon were Kei Nishikori and Nicolas Mahut, who will go head-to-head in the third round on Saturday. Nishikori battled past Karen Khachanov in four sets, while Mahut made quick straight-set work of fellow Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.

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