Why the best match of the US Open finished after 3 a.m. – and how it could affect Ben Shelton in the semis

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — After Ben Shelton’s time-zone-spanning quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz finished at 3:33 a.m. in New York Wednesday morning, the annual conversation of match scheduling at the US Open has kicked back up again.

Despite how bizarre it was to see the two players still battling it out in the early hours, the scene was not one alien to this year’s tournament. Over the years, titanic night sessions have become synonymous with the US Open. To some, they are exactly what makes the grand slam so special.

But for others, namely the players and fans with actual tickets, it’s becoming an unsustainable trend that pushes athletes to their absolute limits and leads to empty stands for some of the biggest matches.

So why are the US Open matches finishing so late and what, if anything, can be done about it?

Why so late?

While late finishes have become commonplace at the US Open, this year has been particularly bad.

Shelton’s quarterfinal win was the latest end to a day in the tournament’s history, not starting until past 11 p.m. ET, meaning many fans had to leave before the match even started.

And, in many ways, this was predictable.

The schedule at the US Open (and at two of the other three grand slams) is split into two – a day and night session – which basically allows organizers to sell two batches of tickets for the courts, essentially doubling the possible revenue.

The most high-profile matches involving the world’s best players are often saved for the evenings, allowing for more lucrative TV deals at primetime slots for fans finishing work to watch.

But with the late session in Flushing Meadows not starting until 7 p.m. ET and with no curfew in place – unlike the 11 p.m. cut off at Wimbledon – it’s no surprise that matches regularly tick past midnight.

In the case of last night, it was simply the perfect storm. Two matches before Shelton’s quarterfinal were marathons that went the distance, which pushed back the start of the night session by 30 minutes.

But even though Wednesday morning was a bit extreme, late finishes are still very frequent and currently unavoidable with the current setup.

“This is not sustainable,” 18-time grand slam singles champion Martina Navratilova warned on X earlier this tournament, after a swathe of late finishes.

“That’s simply too late to play tennis,” former tennis champion Boris Becker replied.

What do the players say?

There is no doubt that epic night sessions can help create electric memories. But at what cost? After all, it’s clear the players are struggling with the current schedule.

After an already packed calendar throughout the season, stars are turning up tired to the US Open and then being asked to push their bodies to the limits at ungodly hours in front of dwindling crowds.

Sleep schedules, meal times and warmups are all impacted by the ticking clock. And it’s not as though players go straight home after the match ends. Shelton and Alcaraz would have had press responsibilities to perform, needed to warm down properly and eat and drink something to aid in their recovery.

How can that not impact Shelton ahead of his match against Frances Tiafoe in the final four on Friday?

“When you finish late, the next day shifts a lot,” women’s star Aryna Sabalenka said earlier in the tournament. “Like, you still need to get your hours of sleep, so you start later. You just can really mess up your schedule.”

Sabalenka is not alone; Venus Williams also said it was “not ideal” that her match against Sofia Kenin last week didn’t start until past midnight.

“I think it wasn’t great for either of us, so I think we both tried our best,” she said. “Yeah, I just don’t know any other sport where you have to start that late. I definitely think there’s room for improvement there.”

Will things change?

To combat late finishes, the simplest thing to do would surely be to start earlier, right? But that’s more complicated than you might think.

Shifting things earlier in the day might lead to less revenue from TV deals and could make it hard for fans to travel to Flushing Meadows through New York’s infamous rush hour.

“Tuesday was one of the most extraordinary days of tennis the US Open has ever seen. While we remain astonished by the incredible competition that played out on the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium – four matches that went a maximum of 16 sets and featured three final-set tiebreaks – we acknowledge that we must evaluate all scheduling options in the future,” said Brendan McIntyre, head of US Open communications. “The focus and attention must remain on these remarkable athletes and their amazing performances rather than on the finishing time.”

Ironically, tournament director Eric Butorac spoke to ESPN earlier this month and said scheduling matches was like a “jigsaw puzzle” and was his favorite part of the job.

“In New York, it would be a challenge to start before 7 p.m. Could we do 6?” he pondered. “It’s something we’re going to address every year.”

Notably, though, he said 7 p.m. still felt like the “right time” for now.

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