Craig Tiley, the newly appointed chief executive of the United States Tennis Association, told Sky Sports Tennis that the tournament will continue to feature two daytime matches and two evening matches at Flushing Meadows beginning in 2027. Tiley, who succeeded the previous USTA leader earlier this year after a decade at the helm of Tennis Australia, emphasized that the current format will remain unchanged despite recent controversy over extremely late finishes.
The issue resurfaced after the quarter‑final clash between rising American Ben Shelton and world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, which stretched into the early hours of Wednesday morning and finally concluded at 3:33 a.m. local time. The marathon, lasting nearly five hours, left only a handful of spectators awake to witness the dramatic conclusion on one of tennis’s most prestigious stages.
Historically, players have cherished the atmosphere of night matches under the bright lights of New York City, but the 2026 edition of the US Open set a new record with three matches ending after 2 a.m. within the first six days, and two additional contests spilling past 1 a.m.
This pattern has intensified a broader debate among top players who are pushing for higher prize money, better welfare provisions, and more reasonable working conditions. Late‑night finishes have become a flashpoint in discussions about the quality of life on the professional tour. Other Grand Slam events have already introduced limits to curb overly late play. Wimbledon enforces an 11 p.m.
curfew, while the French Open restricts night sessions to a single match per day. The Australian Open, like the US Open, has faced criticism for late endings, but it has not yet imposed a firm curfew.
In contrast, the US Open’s leadership argues that the current schedule, which offers fans a full day of competition followed by an evening session, delivers a balanced entertainment package. Tiley explained the logistical challenges of moving evening sessions earlier. New Yorkers who work typical office hours rely on the post‑work window to travel to Flushing Meadows, and the tournament must accommodate both day‑time and night‑time crowds. "I hear from a lot of people that it finishes too late and then I say, okay, and your suggestion is?
I don't get anything," Tiley said. He added that match length is largely beyond the organizers’ control. "You can't control the length of the match.
What's really interesting is in the last 10 years the amount of tennis from when you hit a point to when a point stops has been about the same." Statistical analysis shows that men’s matches have grown by roughly 25 minutes on average over the past decade, a shift Tiley attributes to the introduction of the shot clock, longer towel breaks, and a more measured pace of play. Despite this increase, the average duration of men’s matches today does not rank among the longest in the past ten years. "While it feels really late, the reality is you've got to go and look at the data," he noted, "but no one wants to finish at 3:30 a.m., even if the rest of the world saw an amazing match during their daytime." Tiley reaffirmed his commitment to the "two days, two nights" model, stating, "We really like the two days and two nights. Two full sessions and you get a women's match and a great men's match, and that's what our fans are telling us.
They can come out and see three, four, five hours of entertainment and if it goes really long like the other night, that's a great sporting ticket so I will keep it." The tournament’s social media accounts responded to the late‑night drama with humor, posting a fill‑in‑the‑blank template for fans to ask their employers for time off after the Shelton‑Alcaraz epic. The tweet read: "We understand how important showing up is, but sometimes you have to make time for things you're passionate about. Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton put on an absolute stellar performance during their US Open quarter‑final, and ______ was a fully committed fan who was completely locked in from start to finish." Beyond adjusting start times, some commentators have suggested shortening men’s early‑round matches from best‑of‑five sets to best‑of‑three.
This proposal remains contentious, as many purists view five‑set battles as an essential hallmark of Grand Slam tennis. US Open player Frances Tiafoe weighed in, saying, "I think for the men's we should stick with three out of five. I don't know where the conversation is going, what people are leaning to.
Everyone is going to have an opinion, everyone is different. We've seen so many epics in five‑setters. Do I love five‑setters?
Absolutely not. There's a lot of times where I'm up two sets to love and I'd love to shake hands and go home. But it's tennis, man." The US Open will be broadcast live on Sky Sports beginning August 30, with streaming options available on NOW and the Sky Sports app without a contract.
Fans can also catch the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from September 25‑27, also on Sky Sports. While the debate over late finishes continues, the tournament’s leadership remains confident that the existing day‑and‑night structure offers the best blend of player performance, fan experience, and logistical feasibility, ensuring that the US Open stays a marquee event on the global tennis calendar.