Ben Shelton’s five-set thriller to beat reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in the U.S. Open quarterfinals ended at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday. That added to the list of early-morning finishes that had already stirred frustration and concerns about the schedule at the Grand Slam event. The tournament had already set a record with three post-2 a.m. finishes over the first six days. Shelton's second-round win ended at 2:07 a.m. Then came the quarterfinal match against Alcaraz, with Arthur Ashe Stadium roughly a third full when it finally ended.
Late-night finishes are a hallmark of the U.S. Open. But so many matches going into the early morning hours this year have players wondering how much is too much Grand Slam tennis after midnight. Three going past 2 a.m. in the first week already set a record, including the first time in tournament history play has gone that late on back-to-back days. Venus Williams was subjected to the latest start at the U.S. Open, while men's top-seeded Alexander Zverev had his first two matches end at 1:55 and 2:15 a.m.
