Carlos Alcaraz Frustrated Over 3:30 a.m. US Open Finish
At a press conference in London, Carlos Alcaraz expressed his displeasure about the timing of his recent US Open quarterfinal match. The marathon battle against Ben Shelton ended at an unprecedented 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in the tournament's history.
Late-night matches have become more frequent in Grand Slam events, but this one surpassed the previous record of 2:50 a.m., set by Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2022. Alcaraz described the toll such scheduling 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 said. "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 match itself was a thrilling five-set encounter that saw Shelton pull off an upset against the former World No. 1. The delay in start times earlier that day pushed the quarterfinal's first night session to around 8:20 p.m., over an hour later than planned.
Alcaraz lamented how the late timing affected the audience attendance.
"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 commented. "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 managed to draw an average of 1.3 million viewers for the match. Meanwhile, USTA director Craig Tiley defended the scheduling when speaking with Sky Sports.
"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 remarked. "You can’t control the length of the match."
- Match end time: 3:33 a.m.
- Previous record finish: 2:50 a.m. (Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner, 2022)
- Quarterfinal match duration: Five sets
- ESPN average viewers: 1.3 million
- Delayed start time: 8:20 p.m. (over an hour late)
