At a press conference in London, Carlos Alcaraz expressed his displeasure with the timing of his recent US Open quarterfinal match. The contest against Ben Shelton stretched into the early hours, ending at 3:33 a.m.—the latest finish ever recorded at the tournament, breaking the previous record of 2:50 a.m. set in 2022.
Alcaraz described the experience as "too much," explaining the challenges that come with such late finishes. "For an athlete finishing at 3:30 in the morning, it means we had to leave the courts at 4:30, then back to the hotel," he told reporters. "You don’t go to bed until 6:30 or 7 in the morning. To recover for the next match, the person you play has an advantage."
Match Details and Impact on Fans
The five-set battle between Alcaraz and Shelton was intense and thrilling, ultimately resulting in Shelton upsetting the former World No. 1. The scheduling delay earlier in the day pushed the match start time to around 8:20 p.m., more than an hour later than planned.
Alcaraz lamented how the late start affected attendance and viewership. "It is a shame a match like this didn’t reach a lot of people because they have to go to bed, they have to work in the morning," he said. "If that match had started at 7 or 8 p.m., at the maximum finishing at 11, the stadium would have been packed. A lot had to miss it because of the schedule." Despite the late hour, ESPN still averaged 1.3 million viewers for the match.
Response from USTA Director
USTA director Craig Tiley responded to concerns about late finishes during an interview with Sky Sports, stating:
"I hear from a lot of people that it finishes too late and then I say, OK, and your suggestion is? I don’t get anything. You can’t control the length of the match."
