Carlos Alcaraz Frustrated by 3:30 a.m. US Open Finish: ‘Too Much’

Meeting with reporters in London, Carlos Alcaraz expressed clear annoyance about the marathon quarterfinal at the US Open against Ben Shelton, which ended at 3:33 a.m. This finish set a new record for the latest match conclusion in tournament history, overtaking the previous mark of 2:50 a.m. from a 2022 clash involving Alcaraz himself and Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz highlighted the toll such late finishes take on players. He explained that leaving the courts after 4:30 a.m. and not sleeping until 6:30 or 7 a.m. puts the competitor facing him in the next round at an advantage.

"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," Alcaraz said, according to Front Office Sports. "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."

The five-set thriller kept fans hooked but also suffered from a delayed start. Earlier matches pushed back the schedule, causing the quarterfinal to begin around 8:20 p.m., over an hour later than planned.

Alcaraz lamented how the timing prevented many from watching live. "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 added. "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 drew an average of 1.3 million viewers for the match.

Scheduling Debate Continues

USTA director Craig Tiley defended the event's timing when speaking to Sky Sports earlier in September. He pointed out the challenge of controlling match lengths.

"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," Tiley said. "You can’t control the length of the match."