Bed at 6:45am - US Open semi-finalists fight effects of late-night finishes
New York is known as the city that never sleeps. But that comes at a price for US Open stars - including men's semi-finalists Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev.
Late-night finishes at this year's US Open have left some players feeling "jet-lagged" and questioning the fairness of the competition. Men's semi-finalists Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev have both been heading to bed as early Manhattan commuters are waking up. Zverev, who has had three of his past five matches finish past 1am, described playing the Australian Open in New York as "playing in a farce."
Unseeded opponent Karen Khachanov, who has not played past midnight, will have a longer rest before his semi-final match, while Shelton, who played until 3:34am on Wednesday, will face 11th seed Frances Tiafoe after a five-set quarter-final that ended at 19:00 on Tuesday. Coaches say the advantage of playing earlier in the day will be significant, as players have a full evening's rest and sleep.
However, these extended matches are becoming more common, and some suggest earlier night sessions or even cutting down to three-set matches could help alleviate the issue.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Sport's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
