"I would be in favor of an indoor tour all together" said Ivan Lujbicic after his opening round loss to American 18-year old phenom Ryan Harrison. "The heat was my biggest enemy".

And he isn't the only one who has to battle these hard conditions. In a weird twist, almost all the men's singles matches were put out first on court yesterday 11 a.m, meaning that some of these players would have to play up to five sets in 95 degree weather. The temperature of the courts were up to 110 degrees.

On the women's side Victoria Azarenka (10 seed) collapsed on court after going down 5-1 in her opening set due to headache related injuries. She was taken to the hospital for testing. However, in a statement released by the USTA, it specifically noted that the injuries were not heat related (mild concussion), and in doing so, the USTA almost admitted to us and the players that over-heating may be an issue. One tournament official was overheard saying "What are we going to do? Suspend the tournament for six days and wait for the temperature to die down?" As a result of the heat, the crowds have been considerably thinner with many fans not making the trip to Flushing because of the weather. The only court that seems to be packed consistently is the Grandstand which has an area that is completely shaded 24 hours a day. Some fans will get there at 10 a.m. and reserve the seats and stay there all day. The only other court that has consistent shading is court 13 after 1.

As for tennis, many Americans were in action on Wednesday. Venus Williams won in straight sets, while Melanie Oudin, who put together that unforgettable run a year ago, lost in the second round today. Sam Querrey won his opening round match against Bradley Klahn in four entertaining sets, and Ryan Harrison won the second biggest upset of the day against 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic. Vania King lost in three sets and so too did a once great prospect Donald Young. John Isner is still on court. Jack Sock lost, and the Bryan Brothers (yes Brothers is capitalized) are also still on court. Andy Roddick will face Janko Tipsaravic late tonight. The seven seed Tomas Berdych was ousted in three sets by the serve and volley veteran, Michael Llodra. This has to be an insanely dissapointing match for Berdych, who is coming off the summer of a lifetime as he went to the semifinals at Roland Garros and the finals at Wimbledon.

I don't want to tout my own horn, but I did say yesterday that this would be the match of the day. If you do plan on coming out to Queens I would like to give you a piece of advice. Tennis is a great way to spend the day, and if you are a fan like me, you cannot get enough. However, for a more fair-weather fan, I would like to suggest that this unfair weather does not mean that you must stay home. There are many ways to spend your time at the tennis center. Here are a few ideas.

1. Reserve a spot on the Grandstand or Court 13 as early as possible. There will likely be shade and you can watch tennis or just take a nap. However, if you really want to take a nap, I suggest buying a ticket to CITI Field across the street to see the Mets.

2. The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas above the food court is a great, relaxing place to just chill out.

3. Dining at the Open (via usopen.org): Aces and Champions Bar and Grill Champions Bar and Grill U.S. Open Club Patio Cafe and Bar Mojito Restaurant and Bar Heineken Red Star Cafe Basebline Cocktails Wine Bar Food Food Village Please note that play will begin tomorrow at 11 a.m. Also note that on this Friday, there is a decent chance of rain for the morning hours, however, that rain may taper off in the mid-afternoon. The rain policy is absolute BS, so I would suggest that you monitor the rain situation closely on Friday because if they get just one day scheduled match in, you will NOT be refunded. However, if they do not get a match in, then you can redeem your tickets for next year. It looks as if Friday's matches will only be delayed though, so unless you want your tickets to go down the toilet, be prepared to come to Flushing! Get it?