www.thestar.com - RSS Results of type article
· collected 2026-09-06 · by Brian Mahoney And Stephen Whyno The Associated Press
The US Open has been pushing back match finishes well past midnight, with three post-2 a.m. finishes and two more after 1 a.m. in the first six days of the tournament. This has sparked concerns from players like Jessica Pegula, who questions whether finishing matches at such late hours is fair to athletes. The tournament currently sets a record for late finishes, with four of the latest 17 finishes in U.S. Open history occurring this year. Players like Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton have expressed their exhaustion after playing back-to-back five-set matches or experiencing late night finishes for the first time.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Here's a summary of the news stories about the US Open tennis tournament:
- Taylor Fritz was cruising to win his third-round match against Francisco Cerundolo, leading 2-0 in sets, but suffered an epic collapse, losing 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6 (Article 7).
- Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev both advanced to the last 16 of the tournament, with Gauff beating Elena Rybakina in a three-set match (Article 5).
- In other matches, Naomi Osaka overcame a mental and physical battle to outlast Elise Mertens in a three-setter (Article 5), while Iga Swiatek and Mirra Andreeva also reached the last 16 (Article 6).
- Frances Tiafoe beat Medvedev in a thrilling match on Louis Armstrong Stadium, coming from behind to win 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 (Article 8).
- In other men's matches, Andrey Rublev was beaten by Holger Rune, while Stefanos Tsitsipas lost to Jannik Sinner (Article 5).
Overall, the tournament has been marked by upsets and close matches, with many top players advancing to the last 16.
Written for “US Open Tennis Tournament” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 18 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
-
The city that never sleeps is going a little overboard this year.
left criticizes the US Open for being too late
-
I think everybody’s tired,” he said. “Everybody wants to go to sleep.”
left expresses fatigue and desire to sleep
-
But you have to wonder if it’s really the right thing for players to be finishing at 2 a.m., especially when it’s not — like, I’m not watching on TV. I’m sleeping.
left questions the wisdom of late-night finishes
-
I would have preferred something else, definitely.
left expresses preference for earlier finish times
Leaning score -0.55 for article 6246 (high confidence, 4 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-07
With empty seats everywhere after he finished his U.S. Open first-round match in the early morning hours, he took two questions from reporters on the court and quickly wrapped it up.
“I think everybody’s tired,” he said.
asserted
he → finish → it
“Everybody wants to go to sleep.”
asserted
Everybody → want → sleep
The city that never sleeps is going a little overboard this year.
asserted
that → sleep → ?
Players have long loved the electricity of night matches at the U.S. Open, where tennis under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium is a hallmark of the American Grand Slam tournament, with fans staying late and bringing plenty of energy.
asserted
fans → love → energy
But with the tournament this year already setting a record with three post-2 a.m. finishes over the first six days, plus two more going past 1 a.m., concerns are bubbling up about how much after midnight is too much on such a big stage.
asserted
much → set → stage
“I know they’re dealing with a lot of different aspects as far as broadcast and TV and making sure certain matches get done and are starting at a certain time for those reasons,” third-ranked women’s player Jessica Pegula said.
asserted
Pegula → know → reasons
”But you have to wonder if it’s really the right thing for players to be finishing at 2 a.m., especially when it’s not — like, I’m not watching on TV.
asserted
I → have → TV
I’m sleeping.
asserted
I → sleep → ?
Some people stay, but there is a lot of people that need to go home.”
asserted
that → stay → people
Wimbledon instituted an 11 p.m. curfew.
asserted
Wimbledon → institute → curfew
The French Open schedules just one match a night.
asserted
Open → schedule → match
The U.S. Open is famous for going late, though this time maybe to an extreme.
asserted
Open → go → extreme
On opening night, Venus Williams was subjected to the latest start in U.S. Open history at 12:13 a.m., after it took 4 hours, 36 minutes for Novak Djokovic to get knocked out in the first round.
asserted
Djokovic → subject → round
Much of the crowd stuck around to see what could wind up being the 46-year-old’s final Grand Slam singles match, a loss to Sofia Kenin, but the timing itself was a challenge.
uncertain
timing → stick → Kenin
“It’s not ideal,” Williams said.
asserted
Williams → ’ → ?
“I would have preferred something else, definitely.
asserted
I → prefer → something
It wasn’t great for either of us, so I think we both tried our best.
asserted
we → think → best
I just don’t know any other sport where you have to start that late.
asserted
you → know → sport
I definitely think there’s room for improvement there.”
asserted
I → think → improvement
Zverev’s first two matches ended at 1:55 and 2:15 a.m., making him the first top-seeded man to play back-to-back five-set matches to start a major in the Open era, which dates to 1968.
asserted
which → end → 1968
Ben Shelton’s second-rounder that started Friday night went until 2:07 a.m. Saturday thanks to the Williams sisters’ doubles match lasting more than three hours.
asserted
that → start → hours
Four of the latest 17 finishes in tournament history have occurred this year.
asserted
Four → occur → history
The record is still 2:50 a.m. from when Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals in 2022 on the way to his first U.S. Open title.
asserted
Alcaraz → beat → title
“Not easy,” Shelton said after defeating Denis Shapovalov in 3 hours, 22 minutes.
asserted
Shelton → say → hours
Shelton figured the earliest he’d get to sleep was 5 a.m.
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who two years ago played what is now the fourth-latest women’s match, is not a fan of playing after midnight and the potentially lingering effects.
asserted
what → figure → midnight
“When you finish late, the next day shifts a lot,” Sabalenka said.
asserted
Sabalenka → finish → ?
“Like, you still need to get your hours of sleep, so you start later.
asserted
you → need → sleep
You just can really mess up your schedule.”
asserted
You → mess → schedule
