Venus Williams is one of the outstanding players on the first day of the US Open 2026, but she and Sofia Kenin had to wait a very long time to play, due to what Martina Navratilova described as "crazy" regulations.
Venus and Kenin are named in the new record for the latest start time for a US Open match.
Accordingly, it was past midnight and there was still no sign that the 2 American players were stepping out of the center court. The reason is that Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone had a dramatic battle lasting more than 4 and a half hours.
They chose to play on the main ground at Flushing Meadows even though the organizers had come up with the idea of Louis Armstrong Stadium to fit the schedule.
As a result, 2 former Grand Slam female players appeared on Arthur Ashe's court at a very late hour. Kenin won relatively easily, defeating the former world No. 1 6-2, 7-6(6) in less than 2 hours.
It was a unique experience for Williams, who reacted to it after the failure. Despite her rich experience, ending so late was still new to her.
I've never played a match so late before. That's not ideal. I'd rather choose something else. I think it's not good for both of us," she said, "I think there's a problem that needs improvement".
She is certainly not the only one calling for change, Navratilova completely agrees that this should never have happened. The 18-time Grand Slam champion has expressed her disappointment, specifically the way they scheduled for the evening match slot.
“That's the latest start time for a women's match ever. After midnight, and it could be even later. Tennis is the only sport that does this. I think that's crazy,” she told Sky Sports.
“I think they need to fix the evening schedule. That's too late. I think they should schedule a men's singles and then maybe a doubles match. If it's a women's singles, you can still have another doubles match, or another women's singles match”.
According to these calculations, the possibility of starting at midnight will be much less likely.
Even if you put the women's match ahead and it lasts 3 sets, male players will start at 10 pm," she explained, "If a men's match lasts 5 sets, you will start at midnight.
In general, it's a nuisance for all involved, as Navratilova said. "You're never on the court in the middle of the night and you never start a game in the middle of the night, so it's counterproductive for everyone, the audience and the players.
Monday may have followed that trend with Ben Shelton and Tallon Griekspoor being the first to compete in the evening slot on Arthur Ashe's court while Naomi Osaka and Anastasia Zakharova waited behind.
Fortunately, the confrontation only lasted 2 hours and 35 minutes when the US No. 1 player came back from being led by one set to break through.
Over the past 3 days, the US Open organizers have swapped women's and men's matches during this time frame. That is a more feasible way because female players compete in shorter formats than men's.
