MASON, Ohio — The Cincinnati Open got off to a wet start Tuesday as morning storms rolled through, delaying the first round of qualifying matches by an hour, followed by mid day storms which also caused a delay.
As soon as the rain stopped Tuesday morning, crews fanned out across all 31 courts to begin the drying process.
Pete Holtermann, media director for the Cincinnati Open, said crews were prepared for the weather.
"We were ready. We knew it was coming. We had everything in place," Holtermann said. "The weather is always going to be a variable."
The storms fell just under severe levels but were strong enough to damage the umbrella Kenny Rukenbrod and Nancy Marcos were using.
"We got a little wet this morning," Marcos said, laughing. "Umbrellas were going inside out."
As fans waited out the rain, many took shelter inside the Kroger Indoor Fan Zone, a new edition to the Cincinnati Open this year.
"The fan zone inside was really nice during the rainstorm, especially," Marcos said.
"There's tennis talks. There's cornhole, a giant chess (board). There's even a tennis court in there for some demonstrations," Holtermann said.
Holtermann said other areas fans can stay in during rain include a pavilion on the north side of the campus, which is a covered, open-sided space with Adirondack chairs and a big screen TV, as well as the Cincinnati Open Shop.
To speed up the court-drying process, crews deployed machines called Vaptors.
"Rather than just pushing the water away the way a squeegee would have in the past, it actually sucks up the water into a reservoir, and then you can dump that out on the side of the court," Holtermann said. "(It) has been a game changer in getting everything back out as quickly as possible."
Holtermann said heat trapped in the asphalt surface from prior sunshine also accelerates drying. Generally, once rain completely stops, the goal is to be back on the courts within 30 to 45 minutes.
WATCH: Cincinnati Open hit by storms on opening day of tournament
The sun returned by 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, helping conditions improve. Then around 3:00 p.m., another round of storms moved in, delaying tournament play for hours. As of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, play had not resumed at the tournament.
Tuesday is the busiest day of the opening round, with 48 matches on the schedule. The day kicks off the qualifying tournament, where players compete for spots in the main draw of the Association of Tennis Professionals Masters 1000 event.
"These are players who are battling to get into the field. There's a ton at stake for them," Holtermann said. "A lot of points (are) available. So if you're able to qualify and get in, it could be a big breakthrough for some players."
For weather monitoring, Holtermann said the tournament consults with meteorologists from both tours, in addition to standard forecasting tools, with player and fan safety as the top priority.
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