Late starts expose scheduling strain at 2026 US Open
Repeatedly extended matches have pushed marquee contests into the early hours, raising questions about how the tournament plans around an unpredictable sport.
The 2026 US Open’s scheduling has repeatedly pushed night-session matches into the early hours, leaving prominent players competing before sparse crowds. Yahoo Sports reported that the disruption has been especially pronounced this year, despite late finishes being a familiar feature of the tournament.
On quarterfinal Tuesday, two daytime matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium went to deciding tie-breaks, delaying the night session by about 90 minutes. Jessica Pegula’s three-set win over Emma Navarro added further time to the programme, with Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz eventually beginning their five-set match shortly after 11 p.m. ET.
The scheduling difficulties reportedly began in the opening rounds, as matches lasted longer than anticipated. Venus Williams was scheduled to start at 12:13 a.m. after Novak Djokovic’s four-and-a-half-hour match, putting one of the sport’s most recognisable players into a time slot likely to limit the live audience.
A mixed-doubles event during Fan Week provided an earlier indication of the problem. The event lasted five hours and ended around midnight, with a sparse crowd remaining in Arthur Ashe Stadium, which has capacity for nearly 24,000.
The pattern points to an apparent mismatch between tournament planning and the length and volatility of modern tennis matches. The issue is not simply late-night entertainment, but whether scheduling decisions are allowing major contests to reach audiences in conditions suited to the event’s scale.
