Pegula proposes to cut men's tennis to eliminate early mornings
The American reviewed this last US Open and shared some ideas to prevent some singles matches from ending past midnight. We listened to her but did not judge.
Perhaps this US Open 2026 has not left us with memorable matches or golden pages in history books, but it has managed to rekindle old debates related to the duration of men's matches. Jessica Pegula, a voice worth listening to, has some proposals.
The American, a semifinalist at the US Open and a regular participant in these open debates about the calendar and match formats, discussed the topic on the podcast The Player’s Box, where she shares space with some of her locker room colleagues. Her idea exclusively affects the men's draw of Grand Slams, where she believes the best option is to keep matches to the best of three sets during the early rounds and switch to best of five from the quarter-finals onwards.
Jessica Pegula proposes a solution to shorten matches in Grand Slams
“I don’t know what the solution is, honestly. My theory with the five sets has always been that they should play best of five, perhaps, starting from the quarter-finals, but that would not have solved the problem of that night between Alcaraz and Shelton. I still think they should play best of three until the quarter-finals and then switch to best of five. But would that solve the problem? No,” Pegula explained, aware of the contradiction.
Her proposal would indeed allow for a reduction in the potential duration of a good part of the first week of men's Grand Slams, that's true, but the Shelton-Alcaraz quarter-final shows that the problem has another dimension. Even concentrating long matches in the final rounds, a five-set duel can turn any scheduled time into a moot point. In New York, that match ended at 3:33 AM, causing Arthur Ashe to close with less than half of its seats occupied.
Pegula warns that she is also not willing to solve the problem at any cost. The American rejects proposals such as eliminating advantages at 40-40 or removing lets on serves. “I hate the idea of implementing the golden point when you get to deuce, I hope we never lose the option of advantage. Regarding the idea of not playing with lets, I find that to be stupid. Why would you want to win a point that way, if it touches the net and falls just behind?” she stated frankly.
The debate, therefore, remains open. Craig Tiley, CEO of the USTA, has defended keeping two matches in the night session of the US Open and reminded that the duration of a match cannot be controlled. The session currently starts at 7:00 PM, a time that allows fans to arrive after work. The problem is that when tennis decides to gift a five-hour battle, the clock stops obeying.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Pegula propone recortar el tenis masculino para acabar con las madrugadas