Record-Breaking Women's Match Finish at US Open
At 2:15 a.m. ET, Zheng Qinwen of China and Donna Vekić of Croatia concluded the latest-finishing women's match in US Open history. World No. 7 Zheng triumphed over the 24th-ranked Vekić with scores of 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2, securing her spot in the quarterfinals after a high-intensity game that began close to 11:30 p.m. ET on Sunday and lasted two hours and fifty minutes.
This intense encounter broke the previous record set at 2:13 a.m. ET during the 2021 US Open when Maria Sakkari of Greece defeated Canada’s Bianca Andreescu. Both players demonstrated high-quality tennis with a combined 67 winners and 57 unforced errors. Despite the super late finish, the match was a repeat of the Paris Olympics gold medal game, wherein Zheng had achieved gold and Vekić had taken silver.
Importantly, this match was played under the recently introduced Late Finishing Match Policy by the US Open to ease the impact of extended playtimes. Zheng expressed her surprise and adjusted readiness for late-night matches, marking her experience with disbelief.
The match oscillated with Vekić initially leading 2-0 in the second set after thirteen consecutive games with no breaks. Nonetheless, Zheng retaliated defiantly, re-establishing dominance in crucial moments. The extensive match eventually led to Vekić facing physical challenges, reducing her shot precision, which Zheng capitalized on, tallying more winners with fewer unforced errors.
Following the setting of this new record, Andy Murray commented on X (formerly Twitter), criticizing grand slam scheduling that extends play into early morning hours. He described the scheduling as "amateurish" and called for urgent rectification. Addressing the scheduling concern, US Open Tournament Director Stacey Allaster highlighted the attempt to balance competitive fairness, player wellbeing, and comprehensive mediatic broadcast factors, ensuring recuperative amenities for players and continuous assessment of procedures.
Zheng advances to face World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, contesting once more after their recent showdown in the Australian Open final.
Earlier, SSP wrote that Tebogo triumphed in Rome Diamond League 100m.