Sabalenka comes out on top in a late night battle to enter round 16

Aryna Sabalenka held off No.31 Ekaterina Alexandrova to win 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the third round to advance to the Round of 16 at the ongoing US Open.

The match began at 12:08 a.m., setting the record for the latest start of a men’s or women’s match in the history of the tournament. The prior record was set on Sept. 2, 1987, when Gabriela Sabatini defeated Beverly Bowes in a match that began at midnight.

The match finished at 1:48 a.m. It is tied for the second-latest finish for a women’s singles match at the US Open. The 2016 first-round match between Madison Keys and Alison Riske, won by Keys 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, also finished at 1:48 a.m. The record was set in 2021 by Maria Sakkari and Bianca Andreescu, with the Greek star winning 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-3 at 2:13 a.m.

Alexandrova and Sabalenka were scheduled as the second night match on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The day session match between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, which lasted over four hours, had pushed into the evening, delaying the start of the night session by over an hour. The first match of the night between Alexei Popyrin and Novak Djokovic lasted over three hours, with Popyrin winning in four sets. The delays meant Alexandrova and Sabalenka did not take the court until near-midnight.

“They asked us for our opinion,” Sabalenka told reporters after the match. “They were keeping the staff on the Grandstand so we would have the possibility to move but there was also a chance of rain. It was tricky. So we were waiting to see how the fourth set [of Popyrin-Djokovic]. If it would go to a fifth set I think we would move to Grandstand.

“But honestly I would prefer to play to play on such a beautiful stadium than on the Grandstand. it’s a cool court too, but Ashe is different.”

Having successfully defended her title at the Australian Open, Sabalenka is trying to become the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to sweep both hard-court majors in a single season.

Sabalenka will face Belgium’s Elise Mertens next for a spot in her first major quarterfinal. Mertens returned to the Round of 16 with a gritty effort to hold off 14th seed Madison Keys and win 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4.