Andy Murray under way against Tomas Berdych despite severe weather warning delay

Andy Murray’s semi-final fixture in the US Open was delayed by an hour and a half after severe weather warnings threatened to cancel the match against Tomas Berych.

Heavy rain has pushed back the highly anticipated match between Murray and Czech powerhouse Tomas Berdych but tornado warnings in nearby Queens and Brooklyn could delay the semi-final even further.

The match began an hour and a half late and Berdych started strong by winning the first game.

Officials postponed the match with talk of Murray being moved to The Louis Armstrong Stadium. They eventually started on the Ashe as scheduled.

The National Weather Service issued a warning at 16.12 GMT indicating a strong likelihood of a tornado in and around the area where Murray is set to face the Czech.

Local meteorologist Dean Devore said the adverse weather conditions could continue throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

He said: “That strong line of thunderstorms in western Pennsylvania will close in later this afternoon into this evening.”

“And those are the ones that have severe potential, with damaging winds, very heavy downpours and the possibility of some isolated tornadoes later this afternoon into this evening.”