Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton’s US Open night takes a shocking turn as Martina Navratilova reacts to 3:33 a.m. finish

Martina Navratilova has criticized the US Open schedule after Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton’s quarterfinal started around 11 p.m. and finished at 3:33 a.m. on Tuesday night. The match became the latest finish in US Open history, according to the official US Open website. Navratilova reacted to the late start on X, saying the tournament needs to make changes because such timings are not normal for players.Martina Navratilova calls Carlos Alcaraz-Ben Shelton’s late US Open start “not OK”Martina Navratilova has criticized the US Open schedule after Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton were forced to begin their quarterfinal after 11 p.m. on Tuesday night. The match then went deep into the early morning, finishing at 3:33 a.m. local time. The official US Open website confirmed that it was the latest finish in tournament history. Navratilova reacted on X while the scheduling delay was becoming clear.“Something has got to give… this is not ok and it is not normal … no other sport might start at 11 AM or 11 PM. In the same event…” Navratilova wrote on X.The delay came after a long day on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The schedule began at 11:30 a.m. with Aryna Sabalenka facing Linda Noskova. Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen followed, and their match lasted four hours and 38 minutes. That pushed the later matches well behind their planned times.Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro then played the first match of the night session. Their contest also went beyond two hours, which meant Alcaraz and Shelton did not get onto court until after 11 p.m. By then, the two players were facing a very different challenge from the one they would have faced with an earlier start.Navratilova’s complaint was aimed at the scheduling rather than either player. Her point was that the same event can begin matches in the morning and still have players starting another match around 11 p.m. The former world No. 1 has also spoken out about late-night tennis during this year’s tournament.Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton finish latest US Open match at 3:33 a.m.Once the match finally started, neither Carlos Alcaraz nor Ben Shelton was able to finish the contest quickly. The quarterfinal lasted four hours and 28 minutes and went to a deciding-set tiebreak before Shelton pulled off one of the biggest wins of his career.The official US Open website reported that the No. 8 seed beat defending champion Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7). Shelton ended the match with a 146-mph ace at 3:33 a.m., setting the tournament’s latest finishing time.The win also gave Shelton his first victory over a player ranked inside the world’s top three. He will now face fellow American Frances Tiafoe in Friday’s semifinal. Alcaraz, meanwhile, saw his US Open title defense come to an end after he had won his previous 18 Grand Slam matches.The late finish was especially striking because the match itself was so demanding. Shelton had to stay focused through five sets after waiting until late at night to begin, while Alcaraz also had to deal with the physical demands of a match that ended in the early hours of the morning.For Navratilova, that was the larger issue. Her message pointed to a scheduling system that can leave players waiting for hours before being asked to play a major match, with the final point sometimes coming close to sunrise.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.