Does the US Open have a late-night scheduling problem?
US Open matches are running late, with some finishing after 2 a.m. We asked fans if the schedule is too late or if they love the late-night tennis.
NEW YORK — It became evident the moment that Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint stepped into Arthur Ashe Stadium for their first round match doubles match against Venus and Serena Williams that they were facing a contingent of nearly 24,000 strong that would cheer the 14-time Grand Slam doubles title-winners with every winner, every high five, and every fist pump.
They were also well aware of who to thank for an opportunity to play at the world’s biggest tennis arena in front of a primetime national television audience.
For one Friday night, Joint and Chan, seeded No. 14, kept their composure, played to their strengths, and ended the most decorated sisters in tennis history’s run in New York in 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (10-7) in a grueling three hours and two minutes, after earlier in the tournament Serena lost in mixed doubles with Carlos Alcaraz and Venus lost in the first round to Sofia Kenin.
The atmosphere was befitting of those playing and felt more like a Grand Slam final than a first-round match, as the sisters strolled out in white outfits, with Serena’s warm-up jacket sporting every year that she has won a singles and doubles title at the US Open, ready for their 10th appearance together as partners in Flushing Meadows.
It was also more than a tennis match; it was a made-for-television event, with high drama throughout, as celebrities and ordinary people craned their necks to take pictures of the sisters, just in case this might be their last appearance at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
There were constant reminders of the sisters’ dominance earlier in their career, when they won two US Opens and three Olympic Gold medals. Venus hit her spots, especially off of Joint’s formidable serve, and Serena grunted her way to several baseline winners and forehand slams, including two that hit Joint unintentionally directly in the face, leading to raucous applause.
The crowd hung on every point, with the constant “oohs and ahhs,” and when Joint, a 20-year-old from Australia, playing much bigger than her listed height of 5-foot-5, and Chan, from Chinese Taipei, stormed back after being down 5-0 in the third set tiebreak, the Williams sisters’ dream scenario of possibly making an improbable deep run came to an end.
The sisters made their first appearance as partners since the 2022 US Open, entered as wild cards into the main draw, and more than justified that placement in the tournament with their play.
Their service game was broken in the fourth game, only for the sisters to return the favor on their next serve and come roaring back to tie the match at three, but they were then overwhelmed, losing the last three games of the set.
The second set was even more of a grind for the sisters, who have a combined age of 90, as the fifth and 10th games each lasted more than 10 minutes.
With a chance to extend the match to a third set, Chan and Joint twice came back from a break point, and in the tiebreaker, again with a chance to prolong their night, a forehand unforced error, a Serena double fault, had them on the brink of defeat, but they prevailed when Chan’s forehand went wide out of play.
Joint and Chan will next play Nicole Fossa Huergo and Tamara Korpatsch in the second round.