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Defending champion Rafael Nadal and world No 4 Andy Murray were among the stars left in limbo on Tuesday as rain washed out all play at the US Open.

Nadal - no stranger to weather disruptions after repeated delays prolonged his path to completion of a career Grand Slam here last year - had been scheduled to face Luxembourg's Gilles Muller for a quarterfinal berth.

Murray had been set to play at Arthur Ashe Stadium against Donald Young at 11am, but about 2 1/2 hours after that officials of the US Tennis Association announced they were canceling the day and night sessions.

"Canceled," was fourth-seeded Murray's succinct comment on the social networking site Twitter.

The USTA issued a jam-packed order of play for Wednesday, featuring the four men's last-16 matches postponed from Tuesday and two men's quarterfinals and all four women's quarterfinals.

Other men's fourth-round matches postponed from Tuesday were fifth-seeded David Ferrer's clash with America's former world No 1 Andy Roddick, and 12th-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon against 28th-seeded American John Isner.

Five-time champion Roger Federer was among the four men who beat the weather to lock up quarterfinal berths on Monday.

World No 1 Novak Djokovic, seeking to add a first US Open crown to the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles he has already claimed this year, set up a last-eight clash with friend and Serbian Davis Cup teammate Janko Tipsarevic. They'll be second up on the Ashe court after Nadal and Muller on Wednesday.

Federer will face 11th-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Federer didn't get on court until shortly before midnight on Monday, and misty rain was falling by the time he completed his 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 demolition of unfortunate Argentinian Juan Monaco.

Federer was pleased to be home and dry with his quarterfinal berth, especially with Tsonga already through.

"It would have been a competitive advantage for Tsonga if I wouldn't have finished today," said Federer, whose clash with Tsonga is now scheduled to be the last match of Wednesday night.

Federer said he and his fellow players were used to coping with erratic schedules.

Rain has bedeviled the tournament in recent times with the men's final, scheduled for the last Sunday of the fortnight, carried over to the Monday for the past three years.

The first week of the US Open had been played out in bright sunshine although the schedule was tweaked on the opening Monday after the venue sustained minor damage when Tropical Storm Irene lashed New York.

Tuesday's downpours again sparked questions over the decision by the Flushing Meadows authorities not to follow the lead of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in building a retractable roof over its main court.

The French Open is also forging ahead with plans to install a retractable roof on center court at Roland Garros in time for the 2016 championship.

Questions:

1. What is causing delay at US Open?

2. Who is the defending champion?

3. Who will he face next? berth.

Answers:

1. Rain washed out all play.

2. Rafael Nadal.

3. Nadal will face Luxembourg's Gilles Muller for a quarterfinal.

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.