US Open ignore own new policy as Aryna Sabalenka speaks after match started at midnight

US Open organisers ignored their new policy on late-night matches as Aryna Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova broke the record for the latest ever start time on Friday.

They started their third-round duel at 12.08am and Sabalenka got the job time an hour and 40 minutes later, winning 2-6 6-1 6-2. The No. 2 seed has since addressed the scheduling.

It comes after tournament director Stacey Allaster introduced a “definite policy” which meant referees had the direction to move court assignments for any matches that had not started by 11.15pm.

Allaster confirmed the new plans in a pre-tournament press conference a couple of weeks ago. “We've had late matches here. We will still have late matches here. We are now defining a policy,” she said.

“In the event that we have the second match of the evening in Ashe or the last match in Armstrong, if those matches have not gone on by 11.15pm, the referee will have the discretion to move the match. That's going to depend on many variables, like do we have the broadcast team ready, do we have a ball crew, so forth.”

But fans and pundits were quick to catch on when that strategy was ignored as Novak Djokovic’s match against Alexei Popyrin went on until shortly before 11.50pm local time on Friday night. Sabalenka and Alexandrova were due on after them on Arthur Ashe and their match was never moved.

They eventually walked onto the main showcourt after midnight. And Sabalenka later revealed that the players did get the option of moving onto Grandstand but decided to see what happened in the fourth set of Djokovic’s match, which ended with a 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 win for Popyrin.

“They asked us for our opinion,” the Belarusian said after winning at 1.48am. “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 [went]. 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.”