Craig Tiley, the newly appointed chief executive of the United States Tennis Association, told Sky Sports Tennis that the tournament will retain its current format of staging two matches during daylight hours and two after dark at Flushing Meadows beginning in 2027. Tiley, who stepped into the USTA CEO role earlier this year after a decade leading Tennis Australia, emphasized that there are no intentions to alter the schedule, despite recent controversy surrounding late‑night finishes.

The issue resurfaced after Ben Shelton’s marathon five‑set quarter‑final against Carlos Alcaraz stretched until 3:33 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The nearly five‑hour duel concluded while most spectators were still in bed, sparking debate about player welfare and fan experience on one of tennis’s biggest stages.

Historical data shows that the US Open has already set a record with three matches ending after 2 a.m. within the first six days, and two additional contests have pushed past the 1 a.m. mark.

Night matches under the bright lights of New York have long been celebrated for their electric atmosphere, and many players relish the unique energy of competing after sunset. Nevertheless, the growing concern about excessively late finishes aligns with a broader movement among top players demanding higher prize money, better health safeguards, and more reasonable working conditions. Late‑night matches have become a flashpoint in these negotiations, with the US Open often cited alongside the Australian Open, which has also faced criticism for its late endings. Unlike the US Open, the other two Grand Slam events have introduced curfews to curb extreme hours.

Wimbledon now stops play at 11 p.m. local time, while the French Open limits night sessions to a single match per day. In contrast, the US Open has continued to allow multiple evening contests, prompting calls for reform.

One proposed remedy is to start evening sessions earlier than the traditional 7 p.m. kickoff.

Organisers argue that many New Yorkers need time to travel from work to Flushing Meadows, and that shifting start times could disrupt the delicate balance of day‑and‑night crowds. Tiley acknowledged these logistical challenges, noting that the tournament must accommodate both local fans and international television audiences. When asked about the criticism, Tiley responded, "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.

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. But the length of the matches on the men's side has increased by an average of about 25 minutes.

That's because we now have the shot clock so everyone is taking their time, and we have the towels here which takes a bit more time and so the whole length of it is a bit longer. Not that much longer, but in fact the average time of the men's matches today is still not in the top four average times in the last 10 years. While it feels really late, the reality is you've got to go and look at the data. But that being said, no one wants to finish at 3.30 a.m.

in the morning, although the rest of the world in the daytime saw a pretty amazing match." He continued, "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 US Open’s social media accounts quickly embraced the late‑night drama with a tongue‑in‑cheek post inviting fans to fill in a blank asking their employers for time off after the 3 a.m.

finish. 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 quarterfinal, and ______ was a fully committed fan who was completely locked in from start to finish." Another recurring suggestion in the debate is to shorten men's early‑round matches from best‑of‑five sets to best‑of‑three. This idea remains contentious because five‑set battles are traditionally viewed as the hallmark of Grand Slam tennis. Former US Open champion 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." Despite the controversy, the US Open will continue to be broadcast live on Sky Sports beginning August 30, with streaming options available on NOW and the Sky Sports app.

The tournament remains a showcase for both established stars and rising talents, delivering the drama, endurance, and spectacle that define the sport, even if some matches occasionally spill into the early hours of the morning.