After Ben Shelton’s time-zone-spanning quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz finished at 3:33 a.m. in New York Wednesday morning, the annual conversation of match scheduling at the US Open has kicked back up again.
Despite how bizarre it was to see the two players still battling it out in the early hours, the scene was not one alien to this year’s tournament. Over the years, titanic night sessions have become synonymous with the US Open. To some, they are exactly what makes the grand slam so special.
But for others, namely the players and fans with actual tickets, it’s becoming an unsustainable trend that pushes athletes to their absolute limits and leads to empty stands for some of the biggest matches.
So why are the US Open matches finishing so late and what, if anything, can be done about it?
While late finishes have become commonplace at the US Open, this year has been particularly bad.
