China's Zheng Qinwen reached the U.S. Open quarter-finals at 02:15 a.m. on Monday (Sep 2) in a record late finish for a women's match at the tournament. Seventh-seed Zheng defeated Croatian Donna Vekic 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 6-2 to beat the previous record of 02:13 a.m. from 2021, when Maria Sakkari beat Bianca Andreescu in a last-16 tie. Zheng, who beat Vekic last month to win Olympic gold in the singles in Paris, will now face world number two Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday.
Speaking after the match, Zheng said: "I like to play in the night session. Here in New York it's my first time."
"It's two in the morning, it's incredible. Thanks to the fans who have stayed to support me."
Recent late finishes at the French Open and Australian Open have been criticised by players.
In January, the ATP and WTA Tours jointly brought in a new rule which means no matches can start after 11 p.m. However, the ruling has not been applied to the four majors, which make their own policies.
