Split stadiums for U.S. Open semifinals agitates crowd

Douglas Melik didn't mind. For a while, he was the only person sitting in the entire upper east bowl at Armstrong.

"I thought I had to be pro-active and come on over," he said. "It turned out to be very fortuitous. But I won't have this section to myself for long."

He was right.

Late in the second set, it was easy to hear the cheers from Ashe after Federer had won. Because the matches were no longer in the same place, that started a real rush and the real problems.

There just weren't enough seats for everyone who wanted to get in. Even the fans wearing suits who paid hundreds of dollars for tickets were left to scramble from gate to gate, trying to find a way in.

As the crowd outside grew, things began to get testy. Several fans marched up to security guards to vent, and more uniformed police officers moved in to keep order. Dozens of supervisors scurried around with walkie-talkies, shouting instructions.

"Do not open any gates! It's too dangerous!" one of them hollered.

Despite the anger and frustration, there was no pushing and shoving as officials and officers kept calm. And within 45 minutes or so, many fans who'd lined up were allowed into Armstrong.

Only one problem: Pretty soon, the rain came and the match was suspended with Murray leading 6-2, 7-6 (5), 2-3. They're set to resume Sunday afternoon -- the forecast is looking a lot better -- and fans who had tickets for the session can return.

That's sure to please Schlossberg and his sister, Resa. As fans streamed toward the Armstrong gates only to get turned away, they knew their chances of getting in were remote.

"Slim to none," Resa said, "if not none."