China’s Zheng Qinwen reached the quarterfinals of the US Open at 2:15 a.m. on Monday, making a record-breaking late finish for a women’s match in the tournament.

Seventh-seeded Zheng defeated Croatia’s Donna Vekic 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-2, beating the previous record of 02:13 set in 2021 by Maria Sakkari to beat Bianca Andreescu in the round of 16.

Zheng, who defeated Vekic to win Olympic singles gold in Paris last month, will now face world number two Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday.

The late finish sparked criticism from 2012 US Open champion Andy Murray, who described the scheduling as “amateurish” and “a total mess” and called on the Grand Slam organizers to “get it sorted.”

After the game, Zheng said: “I like playing in the night session. It’s my first time here in New York.”

“It’s two in the morning, it’s unbelievable. Thanks to the fans who stayed to support me.”

The recent late placings at the French Open and the Australian Open were criticized by the players.

In January, the ATP and WTA tours jointly introduced a new rule that no match may start after 11 p.m.

However, the ruling was not applied to the four large corporations that issue their own policies.

In June, 2023 US Open winner Coco Gauff, whose title defense ended on Sunday, said it was “unhealthy” for players to have tennis matches end at 3 a.m. after Novak Djokovic’s five-set win over Lorenzo Musetti at the French Open at 3:07 a.m.

Three-time Grand Slam winner from Great Britain Andy Murray has spoken out about late finishes after playing until 4am at the Australian Open in January 2023.

Take away to X, external On Monday morning after Zheng’s victory, Murray wrote: “Scheduling in tennis is a total mess. It looks so amateurish when matches are played at 2, 3 or 4 in the morning. Fix it.”