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China’s Zheng Qinwen secured her spot in the US Open quarter-finals with a dramatic 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-2 victory over Croatia’s Donna Vekic, in a match that concluded at 2:15am on Monday, setting a new record for the latest finish in a women’s match at the tournament.
Zheng, the seventh seed, surpassed the previous late finish record of 2:13am set in 2021 by Maria Sakkari and Bianca Andreescu. The win sets up a quarter-final clash against world number two Aryna Sabalenka, who Zheng defeated last month to claim Olympic gold in Paris.
Despite the early morning finish, Zheng expressed her enthusiasm for playing in the night session, thanking the fans who stayed to support her. “It’s two in the morning, it’s incredible,” she said.
The late-night scheduling has drawn significant criticism from players, including 2012 US Open champion Andy Murray. Murray called the scheduling “amateurish” and urged Grand Slam organizers to address the issue. “It looks so amateurish having matches going on at 2, 3, 4am. Sort it out,” Murray wrote on social media.
The issue of late finishes has been a recurring concern in tennis, with players raising similar complaints during the French Open and Australian Open. In January, the ATP and WTA Tours implemented a rule preventing matches from starting after 11pm, but this policy does not apply to the four major tournaments, which set their own schedules.
