Tennis fans demand rule change after Shelton and Alcaraz forced into 'unfair' move at US Open
Tennis fans are calling for a curfew at the US Open after a quarter-final match between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton concluded at 3:33 a.m. The scheduling of four matches on a single court led to significant delays, raising concerns about player welfare and competitive fairness.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the growing tension between broadcast scheduling demands and the physical well-being of professional athletes in high-stakes tournaments.
Tennis fans are once again calling for a curfew at all grand slams after the US Open quarter-final between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton finished at 3.33am on Wednesday morning in New York. There were four quarter-finals on the schedule on Tuesday - two men's and two women's matches.
All four were scheduled on centre court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which caused havoc for Alcaraz and Shelton when the three preceding matches all went the distance. Aryna Sabalenka was taken to three sets by Linda Noskova, before Frances Tiafoe came back from two sets down to beat Alex Michelsen in five.
Carlos Alcaraz didn't walk on court until after 11pm following the Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro match. Image: Getty
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