Former world number one Andy Murray criticized US Open organizers for the scheduling of matches at the tournament, calling it a “total mess” after a women’s match ended at 2:15 am. The Chinese seventh-seed Zheng Qinwen defeated Donna Vekic of Croatia in a late-night match at Flushing Meadows, setting a new record for the latest finish to a women’s singles tie. Murray expressed his frustration over the situation, describing the scheduling as “amateurish” and urging the organizers to sort it out.
The fourth-round match between Zheng and Vekic lasted nearly three hours and started late due to the preceding men’s match running over its scheduled time. This late finish broke the previous record set in 2021 for the latest finishing women’s match. Despite the late hour, Zheng remained unfazed by the early morning finish and thanked the fans for their support. Late finishes have been a recurring issue at this year’s US Open, with several matches starting and finishing well past midnight.
World number two Aryna Sabalenka’s match also started at a record late time of 12:08 am and finished at 1:48 am, causing disruptions to players’ sleep schedules. Germany’s Alexander Zverev completed a match at 2:35 am, the second latest finish in US Open history. US Open officials introduced a new policy this year to address the problem of late finishes, allowing the tournament referee to move matches to other courts if necessary. However, the implementation of this policy depends on various factors such as the availability of broadcast teams and ball crews.
Late finishes have been a prevalent issue in tennis, with players and fans expressing concerns about the impact on player health and well-being. The ATP and WTA issued new guidelines earlier in 2024 to prevent late finishes, restricting the number of evening matches and prohibiting matches from starting after 11 pm. While these guidelines apply to regular tour events, Grand Slam tournaments like the US Open have not fully implemented them. Players like Coco Gauff have criticized the late finishes as “unhealthy” for both players and fans, highlighting the need for better scheduling practices in major tournaments.
