Empty seats, tired stars: The US Open’s post-2 a.m. finishes spark a pushback
With empty seats everywhere after he finished his U.S. Open first-round match in the early morning hours, he took two questions from reporters on the court and quickly wrapped it up. Players have long loved the electricity of night matches at the U.S. Open, where tennis under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium is a hallmark of the American Grand Slam tournament, with fans staying late and bringing…
The U.S. Open tournament is facing criticism over the increasing number of late-night matches that have started this year. With three post-2 a.m. finishes already in the first six days and two more going past 1 a.m., players are expressing their exhaustion and discomfort with the late schedules. Alexander Zverev, the top-seeded man, had his first two matches end at 1:55 and 2:15 a.m., marking him as the first top-seeded player to play back-to-back five-set matches to start a major in the Open era.
Ben Shelton's second-round match lasted until 2:07 a.m., causing him to figure that the earliest he would get to sleep was 5 a.m. Jessica Pegula, Jessica Pegula, and Aryna Sabalenka are among the players who are not fans of playing after midnight, as it messes up their sleep schedules for the next day. Wimbledon and the French Open have implemented curfews and limit the number of night matches, but the U.S. Open continues to push the boundaries of late-night tennis.
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