U.S. Open getting eviscerated for Carlos Alcaraz vs. Ben Shelton post 11 PM start

Ben Shelton. REUTERS

U.S. Open getting eviscerated for Carlos Alcaraz vs. Ben Shelton post 11 PM start

By Alan Rubenstein | Last updated Sep 9, 2026 8:53 AM ET

The U.S. Open is getting eviscerated for its 11:05 PM EDT start for the quarterfinal between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton on Tuesday night. Alcaraz and Shelton had a late start after one men's and two women's quarterfinals played earlier at Arthur Ashe Stadium all went the distance.

Two-time defending U.S. Open Champion Aryna Sabalenka defeated 2026 Wimbledon titlist Linda Noskova 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 in two hours and 22 minutes to start the day on Ashe after beginning their match at 11:30 AM EDT.

Francis Tiafoe rallied from two sets down to defeat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 in four hours and 39 minutes in the second match played on Ashe on Tuesday afternoon, which did not conclude until 7:30 EDT. The night session on Ashe was originally scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM EDT.

The first match of the night session between Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula in the second women's quarterfinal did not begin until after 8:30 PM EDT. Pegula won 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 21 minutes, ending at 10:56 PM EDT.

You may be onto something with the “one night session, two women’s matches” idea. You will inevitably get a really late night in that format but solves a lot of problems. And unlike the French, the American fans would he into it because of how many top-ranked women are American
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) September 9, 2026

Solution to hard court Grand Slam late starts

The Australian Open and U.S. Open are the only two Grand Slams with late starts. The French Open only plays one night match on Centre Court, Philippe Chatrier. Wimbledon has an 11:00 PM curfew for its matches.

The US Open needs to fix something. People got pissed about baseball going late. The men’s match of the night is starting at at least 11 pm et. This is getting out of hand.
— Ariel Epstein (@ArielEpstein) September 9, 2026

Pushing matches up to begin the day by at least half an hour will not solve late starts, but it would at least get players on court earlier for their matches. A lot of the complaining on social media has come from fans not being able to stay up for what has been widely stated as the most anticipated match of the 2026 U.S. Open.

The men’s match - Alcaraz vs Shelton - people hoped they might see at the start of the Open won’t start at the earliest until after 11 in the East.
— Mike Lupica (@MikeLupica) September 9, 2026

Another perception on X is that the 2026 U.S. Open has had more late matches than usual. Top seed Alexander Zverev's earliest finish in four matches at the event so far was at 11:48 PM EDT. Two women's quarterfinals and one men's are scheduled before Zverev plays Botic van de Zandschulp, which is posted to start at 6:30 PM EDT on Wednesday.

Alan Rubenstein

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