{
  "id": 4671024,
  "title": "Venus Williams Questions Why US Open Had Her Playing After Midnight: ‘It Wasn’t Good for Either of Us’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/venus-williams-questions-why-us-open-had-her-playing-after-midnight",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-31T16:23:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/venus-williams-questions-why-us-162349709.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, questioned the scheduling of her first-round US Open match that began after midnight. The match, against Sofia Kenin, ended with Williams losing in straight sets. Williams, 46, felt the late start time was not good for either player and expressed the need for improvement in scheduling. The match's late start was due to the previous match, between Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone, lasting four hours and 36 minutes. Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg called the start time \"dysfunctional,\" and journalist Simon Cambers agreed that it was \"ridiculous.\" Williams will now rest up and play doubles with her sister Serena at the US Open.",
  "summary": "The seven-time Grand Slam champion’s match at Arthur Ashe Stadium started a 12:13 a.m.",
  "key_points": [
    "Venus Williams lost her US Open first-round match against Sofia Kenin.",
    "Match started after midnight, questioning the late scheduling.",
    "Williams cited late start as bad for both players and called for scheduling improvement."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}