"US Open you'll pay for your crimes"; "Don't care about player well being"- Fans furious over Aryna Sabalenka match timing after Novak Djokovic defeat

Aryna Sabalenka's third-round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova at the US Open 2024 commenced past midnight (local time) after Novak Djokovic's defeat to Alexei Popyrin at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Many fans reacted angrily to the reportedly record-late start, with some saying the authorities don’t care about players’ well-being.

The first night-session match at Arthur Ashe on Friday, August 30, was Djokovic's third-round clash against Popyrin, followed by Sabalenka's third-round match against Alexandrova.

The Serb's match ended in a 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6 defeat for him, lasting three hours and 19 minutes. Subsequently, Sabalenka's match began eight minutes past midnight. Tennis journalist Stuart Fraser said on X(formerly Twitter) that this was the "latest ever start for a match in US Open history."

Fraser also pointed out that US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster had shared a new policy regarding night matches before the start of the Grand Slam. This allowed a referee discretion to move a night-session match that had not started before 11:15 p.m. to an open court.

This particular match was, however, not moved and stayed on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Following Fraser's post, fans in the replies expressed their dissatisfaction at the authorities' decision, with some focussing on player safety.

"So much for that new rule moving a match to another court," one fan wrote.

"They don't care about player wellbeing at all," another fan wrote.

"DOING MY GIRL SO DIRTY... US OPEN YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES," a third fan wrote.

Here are some more fan reactions to Sabalenka's third-round clash starting past midnight.

"And imagine if the Popyrin v Djokovic match had gone to 5 (which was a real chance after that 3rd set) - I wonder if they spoke to the players at all?" one fan asked.

"When are the players unions going to step in on this. I know it's great for TV but it's just brutal for the players," another fan wrote.

"Pathetic and irresponsible," yet another fan wrote.

Notably, Sabalenka and Alexandrova's encounter was completed in an hour and 40 minutes. However, Alexander Zverev's third-round win over Tomas Martin Etcheverry, which began just a few minutes earlier, extended beyond the completion of Sabalenka's match.

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Novak Djokovic's US Open 2024 title defense ends; Aryna Sabalenka advances to 4R

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 US Open. (Image: Getty)

Canadian Open winner Alexei Popyrin and Cincinnati Open winner Aryna Sabalenka were scheduled to play at the 2024 US Open at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday, August 30. First, Popyrin took on the reigning champion Novak Djokovic.

The Serb did not play any preparatory tournaments ahead of the New York Major on the hard court. He defeated Radu Albot in the first round, while Laslo Djere retired against him in the second round.

Popyrin, the 28th seed, dominated proceedings in the third-round match as he won the first two sets comfortably before the World No. 2 rallied by winning the third set. However, the Aussie pulled off the biggest win of his career by claiming the fourth set, thus ending Djokovic's title defense.

Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka won her third-round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova. The Belarusian faced a scare after losing the first set by a hefty margin 2-6, but was almost flawless thereafter, winning the next two sets 6-1 and 6-2 in quick succession.

In the fourth round, Poyrin will take on 20th seed Frances Tiafoe, while Sabalenka will face 33rd seed Elise Mertens.