Venus Williams Questions Why US Open Had Her Playing After Midnight: ‘It Wasn’t Good for Either of Us’

Anna Lazarus CaplanMon, August 31, 2026 at 4:23 PM UTC

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Venus WilliamsCredit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty -

Venus Williams’ first-round US Open match began after midnight

The seven-time Grand Slam champion questioned why the match was scheduled so late

Williams, 46, lost in straight sets to Sofia Kenin

Even Venus Williams was wondering why she began playing her first round match at the US Open at 13 minutes past midnight on Monday, Aug. 31.

“I would’ve preferred something else, definitely, I think it wasn’t great for either of us, we both tried our best, but yeah,” Williams, 46, said after the match in which she lost to Sofia Kenin, 2-6, 6-7.

She added, “I just don’t know any other sport where you have to start that late. I definitely think there’s room for improvement there.”

The match’s early morning start time was due to the previous match at Arthur Ashe Stadium lasting longer than expected.

Venus WilliamsCredit: Mike Lawrence/USTA via Getty

Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone’s five-set match lasted four hours and 36 minutes, pushing the final match of the evening into the wee hours of the morning.

Still, Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, made a match of it, earning three set points on return at 5-4 in the second set and forcing a tiebreak. It was only when Kenin, 27, found a way to rattle off six straight points that she ultimately won the match.

Williams wasn’t the only one who questioned the scheduling of her match.

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On X, journalist Ben Rothenberg called the start time “dysfunctional.”

“This Venus-Kenin match is setting a new record for latest EVER start to a U.S. Open match,” he wrote. “The previous record was 12:08 a.m. for Sabalenka-Alexandrova in 2024. This match started at 12:13 by my clock.”

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Tennis journalist Simon Cambers agreed: “There is no way a grand slam tennis match should start so late. This is ridiculous.”

Now, Williams must rest up. Up next at the Open, she’ll play doubles with her sister Serena.

The sisters received a wild card and will either play Thursday, Sept. 3, or Friday, Sept. 4.

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Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”