The US Open has absolutely delivered the drama, but that has come with several controversies at Flushing Meadows this year.

There have been complaints about scheduling, ticket prices, influencers, and much more at the New York Grand Slam this year, with the most recent complaint coming from players being forced to play into the early hours of the morning.

Martina Navratilova had lead the charge following the likes of Venus Williams, Alexander Zverev, and Carlos Alcaraz all playing until the early hours.

Shelton and Alcaraz’s quarter final, which ended after 3:30am on Arthur Ashe, has seen the debate spiral even further.

Many have suggested the scheduling was wrong for the quarter finals, which meant the longer matches had even more of a effect on the length of play.

The US Open opted only to use Arthur Ashe Stadium for the quarter finals, so four matches were squeezed onto one court at the tournament. With all of them needing a decider, it’s no wonder the Grand Slam ended so later.

Now, Marion Bartoli has told organisers what they must do in the future to avoid such late finishes at the Grand Slam.

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“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.

However, she believes there is one thing the US Open organisers can do to avoid players playing until the early hours like Shelton and Alcaraz had to.

“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.”

It shouldn’t be a problem any longer as the draw has thinned out. There will only be two matches per day on Arthur Ashe for the rest of the tournament, with the women playing their semi finals on the 10th September and the men playing theirs on the 11th September.

Saturday’s women’s final will be joined by a doubles match, as well the men’s final which is set to take place on Sunday, 13th September.

But from the start of the second week matches, when the better plays begin to play each other, the US Open absolutely must make a change.