Ben Shelton reached the US Open semi-finals after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller that concluded at 3:34am on Wednesday, marking the latest finish in US Open history. The American eighth seed's victory, which ended 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 according to updated match coverage, exemplifies a broader pattern of sleep deprivation affecting competitors at this year's tournament.
New York's reputation as a city that never sleeps has taken on new meaning at Flushing Meadows, where multiple matches have begun late in the evening and stretched into the early morning hours. This scheduling pattern has created a fairness question as some players—including men's semi-finalists Shelton and Alexander Zverev—are heading to bed as Manhattan commuters are waking up for work.
Zverev has experienced the most extreme sleep disruption among the remaining competitors. Three of the top seed's five matches over the past fortnight have finished past 1am, with the German going to bed as late as 5am following his opening three victories at Flushing Meadows.
I've been to bed as late as 6:45am in the past week so I'm kind of a bit jet-lagged,Zverev said.
I feel like I'm playing the Australian Open in New York right now.
The scheduling disparity between semi-finalists is stark. Zverev's first match of the day at this year's US Open will come on Friday in his semi-final against Karen Khachanov, scheduled to begin no earlier than 3:00 PM local time according to the official US Open schedule. By contrast, unseeded Khachanov has not been on court beyond midnight and enjoyed a longer recovery period after his quarter-final against Alexander Blockx finished shortly before 7:00 PM on Wednesday.
Shelton's situation differs from Zverev's in timing but carries similar fatigue implications. After his 3:34am finish against Alcaraz, Shelton will face 11th seed Frances Tiafoe in Friday's night session at 7:00 PM local time. Tiafoe, meanwhile, wrapped up his quarter-final victory over fellow American Alex Michelsen around 7:00 PM on Tuesday, providing him with substantially more recovery time.
What do sleep experts say about the impact?
The physiological consequences of extreme sleep deprivation in elite sport are well documented. Matt Little, who served as Andy Murray's long-time strength and conditioning coach, explained the cascading effects:
The advantage of the opponent who has played earlier in the day will be big - they've had that full evening's rest and a good night's sleep.He added that
if you have one really bad night's sleep, you have the knock-on effect of that for the coming days.
Little witnessed these effects firsthand when Murray infamously finished a match at 4am at the 2023 Australian Open, with the former world number one managing only three hours of sleep before returning to Melbourne Park approximately 11 hours later. Murray described that situation as a
farce, a characterization few in the sport disputed.
For players attempting to recover from extreme late finishes, the challenge extends beyond simply sleeping longer.
He'll have to be napping to catch up some sleep,Little said of Shelton's situation.
On the nutritional side, he'll be making sure he gets as many carbs and as much protein as he can in for that next match, and trying to get back to a bit of a routine. It's about making sure you can optimise the hydration and get as much sleep as possible without completely going into a full slumber.
How extreme have the late finishes been this year?
The volume of early-morning matches at this year's US Open has reached unprecedented levels. Last week, former world number one Venus Williams and her opponent Sofia Kenin began their first-round match at 12:13am—the latest start in US Open history. One of three matches finished after 2:00 AM in the first seven nights, with three others ending after 1:00 AM. Shelton's victory over Alcaraz stands as the latest finish ever recorded at the tournament.
The concentration of late finishes on Tuesday and Wednesday resulted from unusual circumstances. All three preceding quarter-finals on Arthur Ashe Stadium—Aryna Sabalenka's victory over Linda Noskova, Jessica Pegula's win against Emma Navarro, and Tiafoe's triumph over Michelsen—went the full five sets, creating a cascading delay that pushed the final match deep into Wednesday morning.
Zverev and Shelton have each appeared in two of the top-five latest finishes at this year's US Open, underscoring how disproportionately the scheduling burden has fallen on certain competitors. The all-American semifinal between Shelton and Tiafoe ensures a U.S. man will reach the final on Sunday, but the path to that point has tested both players' endurance in different ways.
What changes have been made to address the problem?
The 2023 Australian Open incident prompted some adjustments to tournament scheduling. In response to Murray's match, the Australian Open reduced the number of day-session matches on the main courts from three to two, thereby reducing the risk of night sessions being delayed into the early morning hours.
In early 2024, the ATP and WTA created new rules preventing tour matches—played over three sets rather than five like the Grand Slams—from starting after 11:00 PM. These rules, however, do not apply at the major championships, leaving the Grand Slams to operate under their own scheduling frameworks.
Despite these measures, the US Open has continued to experience extreme late finishes, prompting renewed calls for action.
Something has got to give,said 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova.
This is not OK and it is not normal.
What solutions have been proposed?
Starting the US Open night sessions earlier represents the most commonly discussed proposal. However, this approach faces resistance from television executives and the practical realities of New York life, with many fans unlikely to arrive at Flushing Meadows much before 7:00 PM.
A more radical suggestion involves cutting back on the best-of-five sets format at the Grand Slams. This idea gained further traction after Andrew Abdo, Tennis Australia's recently-appointed chief executive, suggested the Australian Open could look to reduce men's matches to three sets in the future. Abdo's comments provoked significant backlash, with Tiafoe among those defending the traditional format.
Do I love five-setters? Absolutely not,Tiafoe said.
But it's tennis, man. I grew up watching so many incredible five-setters. Novak-Rafa, Federer-Rafa, epic five-setters that go on for hours and hours. That's the history of the game.
Some argue that these late-night marathons represent the essence of the US Open—a raucous sporting representation of the city which never sleeps. Yet the mounting evidence of competitive disadvantage and player fatigue suggests the current system may be unsustainable.
What happens next?
The men's semifinals are officially set for Friday, September 11, with Alexander Zverev facing Karen Khachanov in the first match and Frances Tiafoe facing Ben Shelton in an all-American night match. Zverev's match begins at 3:00 PM local time, providing him with his first daytime start of the tournament, while Shelton and Tiafoe will compete in the evening session at 7:00 PM. The US Open men's singles final is scheduled for Sunday, September 13, guaranteeing that an American man will compete for the championship after the all-USA semifinal.
