The crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium was growing restless, and so was Andy Murray. Murray, the 2012 United States Open champion, had just taken a two-sets-to-one lead on James Duckworth, and Duckworth had left the court for a bathroom break.

Instead of resting courtside, Murray stalked the baseline, bouncing a ball against his racket strings. Meanwhile, fans waited in line at nearby concessions stands, wondered aloud about how top-seeded Simona Halep had lost to Kaia Kanepi in the first match on Armstrong a couple hours before. They positioned themselves along the railing that rimmed the court’s lower-level seating area. All of that noisy action continued even when play resumed in the fourth set.

The old Armstrong stadium was the ultimate tennis bandbox, an intimate venue that allowed fans to feel like they were sitting on top of the court. On Monday, fans, and players, were treated to a version of the intimacy they had hoped to find in the new stadium; the breeze they had prayed for on a sweltering afternoon; and, in some parts, the shade created by portions of the retractable roof (the old Armstrong had little shelter).