The US Open is braced for an invasion of sex-crazed bugs ahead of the start of the singles event this weekend. Yep, you read that correctly, and stars have been advised on how to deal with the insects.
As British hopefuls Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper gear up to prepare for the grand slam event, they need to be wary of the bugs as they chase the $5m winners’ pot. Having been spotted in 29 of New York State’s 62 counties following a hot summer, the major may be marred by a swarm of spotted lanternflies.
Flushing Meadows, where the US Open will take place, is the fourth largest public park in the state, and is primed for an invasion of the lanternflies. They munch everything from fruit trees to vegetable crops with reckless abandon once they hatch in late May.
Lanternflies are spreading like wildfire
However, members of the public only take notice of lanternflies once they start frantically mating in August.
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Kelli Hoover, a professor of entomology at Pennsylvania State University, fears the bugs spread like wildfire across New York State and beyond.
“They’re hopping on trains, planes and ships. These guys are brave hitch-hikers,” Hoover is quoted as saying of the lanternflies by The Sun.
Brian Eshenaur, an invasive species expert at Cornell University, added: “When somebody sees an insect, we ask them to take a picture first. And then stomp on it.”
And that’s the advice given to players and fans at the US Open later this month, with officials advising to report any lanternfly spotting before stomping the sex-mad critters to death.
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The qualifiers for both the men’s and women’s singles event is currently taking place at Flushing Meadows, while the mixed doubles semi-final and final finished earlier this week.
British men’s star Draper progressed to the semi-final with Jessica Pegula, but the pair were knocked out by Casper Ruud and Iga Swiatek at the final hurdle.
Draper and Pegula managed to impressively beat Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz in the first round on their way to the final four.
Ruud and Swiatek both failed to secure glory, however, the pair ultimately losing to Italian duo Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori as the Italian duo retained their doubles crown having required wildcard entry to participate in the event.
Jannik Sinner, who is looking to defend his men’s singles crown, withdrew from the mixed doubles event after the Italian had pulled out of the Cincinnati final through illness partway through the opening set while 5-0 down to Alcaraz.
Aryna Sabalenka, meanwhile, is out to defend the women’s singles title having lost the Australian Open and the French Open finals earlier this year.
Topics: Emma Raducanu, Tennis, US Open
Ben McAleer