The US Open has produced plenty of drama in 2026, but it has also drawn criticism for a number of issues at Flushing Meadows. Complaints about scheduling, ticket prices and influencers have all surfaced, with the latest debate centred on players being asked to compete deep into the night.

Martina Navratilova was among those to speak out after Venus Williams, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz were all involved in matches that ran into the early hours. The discussion intensified again after the Shelton and Alcaraz quarter-final finished after 3:30am on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The problem, many argue, was not just the length of the matches but the setup around them. The US Open used only Arthur Ashe for the quarter-finals, fitting four matches onto one court. With every contest going to a deciding set, the finishing time was always likely to drift far beyond what is ideal.

Marion Bartoli has now offered her view on how organisers can avoid a repeat of those late finishes. Speaking on Sky Sports Tennis, she said, “From a TV point of view it’s great because you have people on the edge of their sofa and they want to watch the match from home,” said Bartoli on Sky Sports Tennis.

She then outlined the solution she believes should be adopted as the event progresses. “But I will say, ultimately, one match a night especially when you get down to the quarter-finals and you know those matches are going to be a lot closer could potentially be the solution,” she explained.

“I’d say in the first week you can have two matches because you know some of the matches might be one-sided, but as you move on, definitely one match.”

The schedule now appears less crowded, with only two matches per day on Arthur Ashe for the rest of the tournament. The women’s semi-finals are set for 10 September, followed by the men’s semi-finals on 11 September.

Saturday’s women’s final will be accompanied by a doubles match, while the men’s final is scheduled for Sunday, 13 September. Still, the US Open’s second-week scheduling has made one thing clear: once the draw tightens, late-night sessions need a different approach.

The 2026 US Open has reached its decisive stage, and the women’s draw is producing a rankings picture with major consequences. After all four quarter-finals were pushed to the limit, the semi-final lineup is set: Aryna Sabalenka will face Jessica Pegula, while Coco Gauff meets Elena Rybakina.

The biggest development is at the top of the WTA Rankings. Sabalenka, who has been world No 1 since October 2024, is about to lose that position to Rybakina. For the first time in her career, Rybakina will become world No 1, having gone one round better than her 2025 US Open showing.

Sabalenka’s title defence complicates the picture further. As the reigning champion, she is protecting 2,000 points and could slip as low as fourth depending on how the final two rounds play out. Pegula and Gauff remain third and fourth in the Live WTA Rankings, but both are still within reach of second.

There has also been movement elsewhere in the top 10. Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova stay fifth and sixth after their quarter-final exits, while Elina Svitolina has moved up from ninth to seventh despite a third-round departure, helped by improving on her 2025 result. Karolina Muchova and Iga Swiatek have both fallen back after losing points, and Amanda Anisimova has dropped to 11th following a third-round loss. Marta Kostyuk has taken her place in the top 10 for the first time.

Beyond that group, Diana Shnaider is up to 13th, Sorana Cirstea has reached 15th, and the Ukrainian trio of Oleksandra Oliynykova, Daria Snigur and Yulia Starodubtseva have each achieved new career-best rankings. Qinwen Zheng’s run to the quarter-finals as a qualifier has lifted her 69 places to 52nd.

Among the biggest setbacks, Naomi Osaka has fallen to 17th after a fourth-round exit, Daria Kasatkina is down to 85th after an opening-round defeat, and Emma Raducanu has slid to 89th after missing the tournament through injury.

Carlos Alcaraz’s run at the US Open came to an end in a five-set loss to Ben Shelton, and Greg Rusedski believes one tactical choice may have influenced the result. The world No 3, whose title defence was halted by a 7-6(5), 1-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(7) defeat, was beaten by the ninth-ranked Shelton in a four-hour-and-28-minute match at Flushing Meadows.

Alcaraz had been seeking a third US Open title and an eighth Grand Slam crown overall. He also arrived having played his first tournament since sustaining a right wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April.

The contest turned on narrow margins. Alcaraz led 5-3 and 6-5 in the deciding-set tiebreak, but Shelton edged the closing points to finish the job. Speaking on his Off Court With Greg Rusedski podcast, the former world No 4 argued that Alcaraz’s positioning on return gave Shelton too much room to operate.

“I think it was a little bit of a tactical mistake [from Alcaraz],” said the 1997 US Open finalist.

Rusedski suggested that standing so deep reduced Shelton’s aces but did not take enough time away from him. He said that approach gave Shelton more choices, including serve and volley patterns and a quicker first strike when Alcaraz sent the ball back with height.

“So, I think I would like to see Carlos try to stand in a little bit more at times like [Jannik] Sinner does, and that’s why Sinner does so well against Shelton is the way he reads it and he steps in and takes it a little bit earlier.

“When you give Shelton that option, and especially with the cleverness of the tactics of serving and volleying, and coming in and striking, and getting in as quick as you can, it was a good play.

“For me, sometimes you give up the aces to get that one or two games where you have a chance to break, because if Shelton’s hitting his spots, it’s almost impossible to break.

“He went the distance, it came down to one or two points, and Shelton played the big points fractionally better, and also in part just because Alcaraz has been away for so long.

“It has been mighty impressive what the Spaniard has done in his first week and a bit back from tennis after four and a half months.”