{
  "id": 6431627,
  "title": "Late-Night Shelton-Alcaraz Thriller Raises Questions for US Open",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/late-night-shelton-alcaraz-thriller-raises-questions-for-us-open",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-09T14:06:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Front Office Sports",
    "slug": "front-office-sports",
    "url": "https://frontofficesports.com/article/us-open-shelton-alcaraz-3-am/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The US Open experienced an unprecedented late-night thriller on Tuesday as Ben Shelton defeated Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set match, winning in a last-set tiebreak. The match began after 11 p.m. local time and lasted four hours and 28 minutes, setting a record for the latest finish in tournament history. This was not the only late-night match, as three other matches on Tuesday also ran the full distance. Earlier in the day, Aryna Sabalenka defeated Linda Nosková in a three-set match that also went to a final-set tiebreak, finishing in two hours and 22 minutes. Frances Tiafoe came back from two sets down to defeat Alex Michelsen in a four-hour and 39-minute match, followed by Jessica Pegula's two-hour and 21-minute victory over Emma Navarro. While Shelton and Alcaraz did not express complaints about the late finish, other players, including Venus Williams and Jessica Pegula, have voiced concerns about the tournament's late-night schedule. Williams noted that it's unusual for any sport to require such late starts, while Pegula suggested that starting matches an hour earlier or making other adjustments could improve the situation. The US Open, which follows a similar night session format to Wimbledon, French Open, and Australian Open, has seen late finishes in previous years as well. Tennis Australia CEO Andrew Abdo has suggested that tournaments may consider tweaking match formats or durations to address these scheduling issues, but Tennis Channel CEO Jeff Blackburn believes that player health should be the primary focus and that major changes are unlikely.",
  "summary": "Alcaraz and Shelton’s match ended at 3:34 a.m. ET.",
  "key_points": [],
  "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."
}