Arthur Ashe Stadium delivered four thrilling quarterfinals on Tuesday, September 8—but by the time Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton finally walked on court, excitement had turned to exhaustion. A string of marathon matches pushed their marquee showdown to a near‑midnight start, sparking fresh outrage over US Open scheduling and reigniting debates about player welfare and fan experience.
One Stadium, Four Marquee Matches: How the Night Slipped Away
Tuesday’s schedule at Flushing Meadows followed the tournament’s familiar blueprint: two best‑of‑five men’s matches and two best‑of‑three women’s matches, all on Arthur Ashe. Play began at 11:30 a.m. ET with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka edging Linda Nosková in a tight three‑setter that lasted 2 hours and 22 minutes.
The afternoon brought another epic: Frances Tiafoe’s comeback win over Alex Michelsen. After dropping the first two sets, Tiafoe rallied to win in a deciding‑set tiebreak, sealing a 4‑hour‑39‑minute thriller that spilled into the evening session.
The night session was supposed to start at 7 p.m. ET with an all‑American women’s quarterfinal between Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro. But with Tiafoe–Michelsen still underway and the usual transition between sessions, Pegula–Navarro didn’t begin until well after 7 p.m. Pegula’s 3‑6, 6‑4, 6‑3 victory added another 2 hours and 21 minutes to an already overloaded card.
By the time Alcaraz and Shelton were ready to warm up, the clock had ticked past 11 p.m. ET.
Fans and Insiders Push Back: “Complete Disgrace”
The late start triggered immediate backlash across social media and tennis circles.
- “Brutal scheduling luck for the Open that the most anticipated match of the tournament thus far won’t start until after 11 ET,” sportswriter Anthony Dubbundo wrote on X.
- “So what time is the Alcaraz–Shelton match starting at this point?? @usopen has got to fix this scheduling insanity. Not good for the fans or the players,” one fan posted.
- “I’m sorry, but Shelton/Alcaraz not starting before 10 p.m. is unacceptable… You have multiple large courts; use them,” another viewer argued.
Some called the situation unsustainable for players and fans alike. “Alcaraz/Shelton not starting until at least 11 p.m. Eastern… this is good for nobody,” one fan opined, while another wrote, “I’m sorry, but this behavior by the US Open should be illegal… There’s a chance they’ll be playing at 4 a.m.”
Late finishes are hardly new at Flushing Meadows. Top seed Alexander Zverev has already been on court until around 2 a.m. ET twice this year, and Shelton previously battled Denis Shapovalov in another late‑night grind. The tournament’s record for latest finish still belongs to the 2022 Alcaraz–Sinner epic, which ended at 2:50 a.m. ET after 5 hours and 15 minutes.
Former world No. 1 Martina Navratilova weighed in, calling the pattern “not normal” and urging the US Open to find a sustainable solution as rallies grow more physical and schedules more grueling.
Why This Keeps Happening (and Why It’s a Problem)
The core issue is structural: placing four high‑stakes matches on a single stadium court, with no hard curfew and limited flexibility once long matches pile up. Best‑of‑five men’s matches are inherently unpredictable in length, and when two of them run long on the same day, the night session gets pushed later and later.
For fans, the impact is practical and emotional:
- Viewers in the U.S. struggle to stay awake for a match they’ve waited all day to see.
- International audiences face even more extreme local times.
- Players deal with disrupted routines, recovery windows, and potential performance effects from starting deep into the night.
Until then, late nights at the US Open look set to remain part of the tournament’s identity—for better and, increasingly, for worse.
US Open Tweaks Wednesday’s Order of Play
In response to the backlash, tournament organizers adjusted Wednesday’s schedule. The day session begins at 11:30 a.m. ET with Zheng Qinwen vs. Elena Rybakina, followed by Mirra Andreeva vs. Coco Gauff and then Karen Khachanov vs. Alexander Blockx. With the women’s semifinals on Thursday, the revised order aims to give the winners a reasonable recovery window before their next matches.
The evening session features Alexander Zverev vs. Botic van de Zandschulp, scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by a men’s doubles contest. The change suggests the tournament is aware of the scheduling pressure, even if it hasn’t overhauled the broader format.
What Could Actually Fix This?
Tennis fans and analysts have floated several options to prevent repeat scenarios:
- Split marquee men’s matches across two show courts instead of stacking four on Ashe.
- Introduce a hard curfew for night sessions, with overflow matches moved to secondary stadiums.
- Reconsider the order of play so that the most high‑profile men’s match isn’t automatically last when two best‑of‑five matches are scheduled on the same day.
For now, the message from fans is clear: drama on court is welcome; chaos off it is not.
