“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 Arthur Ashe

The third round match of the US Open 2024 between Aryna Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova began just after midnight (local time) at Arthur Ashe Stadium after Novak Djokovic lost to Alexei Popyrin. Many fans have reacted angrily to the delay in recording, with some saying that officials do not care about the players’ well-being. The first night session match at the Arthur Ashe on Friday, August 30, was a third-round match between Djokovic and Popyrin, followed by a third-round match between Sabalenka and Alexandrova.

 

The Serbian lost the match 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6 after three hours and 19 minutes. Sabalenka’s match then began just after 12:08 a.m. Tennis journalist Stuart Fraser wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that it was “the last match start in US Open history.”

 

Fraser also noted that US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster shared a new policy for night matches before the start of a Grand Slam. This allowed the umpire to use his discretion to move the evening game to an away field, where it did not start until 11:15 pm.

 

However, the game was not postponed and remained at 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 the health of the players at all,” another fan wrote.

 

“They are hurting my daughter so much… “US OPEN YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES,” wrote a third fan.

 

Here are more fan reactions to Sabalenka’s third-round clash, which will start after midnight. “And imagine if the Popyrin vs Djokovic match had gone to 5 (it was a real chance after the 3rd set) I wonder if they had even discussed it with the players at all?,” he asked the fan.

 

“When will the players’ union intervene in this issue? I know it’s great for TV, but it’s just cruel for the players. ”

 

\ “Miserable and irresponsible, \” wrote another fan. It should be noted that the meeting between Sabalenka and Alexandrova lasted one hour and 40 minutes, but Alexander Zverev’s third-round victory over Tomas Martin Echeverry, which began a few minutes earlier, exceeded Sabalenka’s finishing time in the match. Canadian Open winner Alexei Popyrin and Cincinnati Open winner Aryna Sabalenka were scheduled to compete in the 2024 U.S. Open, which will be held at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday, August 30. First, Popyrin will face reigning champion Novak Djokovic. The Serbian player did not play any preparatory tournaments before the New York major on hard courts, where he beat Radu Albot in the first round and was dropped by Laszlo Gole 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 had a scare when she lost the first set 2-6, but then played near-flawless and quickly won the next two sets 6-1 and 6-2. In the fourth round, Laurin faces the 20th seeded Fransistia Four, and Savarenca meets Eris mertens’s 33rd seed.