Carlos Alcaraz Critiques US Open's Late Match Timing

During a press conference in London on Thursday, Carlos Alcaraz expressed his displeasure about the timing of his recent US Open quarterfinal match against Ben Shelton. The encounter stretched into the early hours, ending at 3:33 a.m., setting a new record for the latest finish in US Open history, beating the previous mark of 2:50 a.m. established by Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2022.

Alcaraz described the toll that such a late finish takes on players. "For an athlete finishing at 3:30 in the morning, it means we had to leave the courts at 4:30, then back to the hotel," he told reporters, according to Front Office Sports. "You don’t go to bed until 6:30 or 7 in the morning. To recover for the next match, the person you play has an advantage."

The intense five-set match captivated tennis fans but ended with Shelton upsetting the former World No. 1. Scheduling delays earlier that day pushed the start of their night session match to around 8:20 p.m., more than an hour later than planned.

Alcaraz lamented how the late timing affected spectatorship. "It is a shame a match like this didn’t reach a lot of people because they have to go to bed, they have to work in the morning," he said. "If that match had started at 7 or 8 p.m., at the maximum finishing at 11, the stadium would have been packed. A lot had to miss it because of the schedule." Despite the late hour, ESPN still drew an average audience of 1.3 million viewers for the match.

Responses From Officials

Craig Tiley, USTA director, defended the event’s scheduling when speaking to Sky Sports earlier this month. He acknowledged concerns about late finishes but questioned alternatives. "I hear from a lot of people that it finishes too late and then I say, OK, and your suggestion is? I don’t get anything," Tiley said. "You can’t control the length of the match."