Carlos Alcaraz voiced sharp criticism of Grand Slam scheduling following his quarterfinal exit at the US Open, where his late-night loss to Ben Shelton ended at 3:33 a.m. The match stands as the latest finish in tournament history, eclipsing the previous mark of 2:50 a.m. set by Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2022.
Carlos Alcaraz Challenges US Open Scheduling After Record-Breaking Late Finish
The quarterfinal encounter stretched across five sets before Shelton eliminated the former World No. 1. A series of delays earlier in the day pushed the start time back significantly, keeping the opening night session from beginning until approximately 8:20 p.m., more than an hour behind schedule.
The Recovery Toll of 3:30 a.m. Finishes
Detailing the physical toll of the late finish, Alcaraz explained that players could not leave the grounds until 4:30 a.m., pushing their return to the hotel even later. According to Front Office Sports, Alcaraz noted that athletes face substantial recovery hurdles under such schedules, pointing out that players do not sleep until 6:30 or 7 in the morning, which ultimately hands an advantage to opponents with better recovery windows.
Alcaraz also highlighted the missed audience engagement caused by the timing. He stated that it is a shame a match of that caliber fails to reach a broad audience because viewers have to sleep and work the following morning. He maintained that a start time at 7 or 8 p.m. with an 11 p.m. curfew would have kept the stadium packed and prevented fans from missing the action.
Viewership Numbers and Official Responses
Despite the late hour and subsequent broadcast challenges, ESPN maintained an average of 1.3 million viewers for the match between Alcaraz and Shelton.
Tournament organizers have defended the existing scheduling framework. USTA director Craig Tiley addressed the criticism in an interview with Sky Sports earlier in the month, stating that while he hears concerns about late finishes, critics fail to offer practical alternatives. Tiley maintained that tournament officials cannot control the length of an individual match.