US Open Late Finish Rekindles Grand Slam Scheduling Dispute

A US Open first-round match that finished after 2am has renewed scrutiny of late-night scheduling at tennis's Grand Slam tournaments. BBC Sport reported that Sofia Kenin's straight-sets victory over Venus Williams began shortly after midnight on Monday, despite being designated for the Sunday evening session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

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The delay followed Mariano Navone's five-set defeat of Novak Djokovic, which lasted more than four hours. Williams said afterward that the timing was not ideal and had been poor for both players' conditioning. By the conclusion, many seats in the 23,933-capacity stadium were empty, according to the BBC report.

The US Open schedules one men's and one women's match from 7pm during its night session, after a separate daytime programme. The arrangement allows organisers to sell the same seats for two sessions and packages high-profile matches for prime-time television. ESPN's 2024 agreement to carry every US Open match through 2037 is worth $2.04 billion, or $170 million annually, BBC Sport reported.

The format differs from Wimbledon, where play begins at 11am and ends at an 11pm curfew. An unfinished match resumes the next day. Three of the four majors—the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open—use split day and night sessions, creating the possibility that a long opening match pushes the second contest deep into the early morning.

Players have repeatedly raised concerns about the effect on preparation and recovery. Waiting for a previous match can disrupt warm-ups, meals and energy management, while post-match media, treatment, showering and eating can keep competitors awake for hours after play ends. Coco Gauff previously said a 3am finish could mean not getting to bed until between 5am and 7am, and described the situation as unhealthy and potentially unfair.

Scheduling is part of a broader dispute between players and the majors over revenue sharing, recovery time, media requirements and pensions. Wimbledon and the US Open increased prize money in 2026, while a new Grand Slam player advisory council is due to begin after this US Open and provide competitors with more input. It remains unclear whether the council will seek limits on late finishes. US Open organisers had not commented on the Williams-Kenin timing, but tournament director Stacey Allaster said in 2023 that a 6pm start was impractical for many New Yorkers and that reducing the night session to one match would be unfair to ticket holders.