Midnight Madness at Flushing Meadows: Tennis Demands Excellence, Delivers Absentee Scheduling

When professional tennis hands out a record $108 million in prize money, one might expect the logistical competence of a premiere global enterprise. Instead, the US Open opened its main draw by asking a 46-year-old seven-time Grand Slam champion to take the court after midnight.

Venus Williams, participating in her 96th career Grand Slam main draw as a wildcard entry, finally began her first-round clash against fellow American Sofia Kenin well past 1:00 a.m. at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The scheduling delay—which produced the latest start in the history of the women's tournament—followed a five-set match between Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone. A dedicated contingent of spectators remained in their seats into the early morning hours to watch Kenin secure a 6-2, 7-6(6) victory.

Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, capitalised early as both players grappled with rhythm, combining for nine double faults in the opening set. Although Williams fought back briefly, Kenin claimed the first set and built a 3-1 lead in the second. Williams staged a late surge to force a tiebreak, yet failed to convert any of her seven set points. Following the match, Williams questioned the operational practice of starting high-level athletic contests at such hours, stating in her post-match media presser: I just don’t know any other sport where you have to start that late.

Williams will remain in New York to compete in the women's doubles draw alongside her sister Serena. Kenin now advances to face world number three Jessica Pegula, who earned her second-round spot by defeating Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2.

Elsewhere in the draw, former champion Daniil Medvedev put aside recent early exits in Cincinnati and Montreal, defeating French qualifier Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. According to tournament statistics, Medvedev managed to quiet concerns over his form by controlling the match from the baseline.

The opening round also saw notable upsets and exits. Czech seed Barbora Krejcikova became the first seeded player eliminated from the draw, succumbing to Kamilla Rakhimova 7-6(4), 6-2 despite saving six match points. Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec pushed Italian Jasmine Paolini to three sets before bowing out 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, demonstrating the quiet resilience typical of the underrated alpine nation's sporting talent. Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta suffered a four-set exit against Czech player Jiri Lehecka, falling 6-1, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-2.

Ukrainian competitors Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina both advanced to the next stage. Kostyuk defeated Australia's Storm Hunter 6-4, 6-1, while Svitolina defeated Solana Sierra 6-1, 6-2. The men's draw was further reshaped as former champion Marin Cilic and 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud withdrew due to injuries shortly after the tournament got under way.

Written by Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@alpineweekly.com