"Tennis is the only sport that does this" - Martina Navratilova calls for rule change after 'crazy' midnight shenanigans at Flushing Meadows

Venus Williams was one of the standout players on day one of the US Open, but she and Sofia Kenin would have to wait a very long time before getting their chance to step onto the court thanks to what Martina Navratilova described as 'crazy' rules after they set a new record for latest ever start to a US Open match.

Set to compete their first round match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the time had gone past midnight and there was still no signs of the Americans taking centre stage. This was due to Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone playing a thrilling contest which lasted over four and a half hours.

The pair were committed to competing on the main show court at Flushing Meadows despite the organisers pitching the idea of them playing on Louis Armstrong Stadium to align with their schedules.

It was pushed back and the tournament allowed the former Grand Slam winners to feature on Arthur Ashe at the incredibly late hour. Kenin would prevail with relative ease, downing the former World No.1 6-2, 7-6(6) in just under two hours, saving seven set points in the second set.

It was a unique experience for Williams who reacted to it after the defeat. Despite her wealth of experience, this late finish was new to her. “I’ve never played a match that late before. It’s not ideal. I would have preferred something else. I think it wasn’t great for either of us,” she said. “I definitely think there’s room for improvement there.”

She is most certainly not the only one calling for a change Navratilova wholeheartedly agreed that this should have never occurred. The 18-time Grand Slam champion vented her frustration on this matter, specifically how they scheduled the night session.

“It was the latest start for a women’s match ever. After midnight, and it could have been later. Tennis is the only sport that does this. I think it’s crazy,” she told Sky Sports.

“I think they need to fix the night session. It’s too late. I think they should play men’s singles and then maybe a doubles match. If you do women’s singles you can still have another doubles match, or another women’s singles. You’ll see get four sets of play minimum."

By these calculations, it will be much more likely that a midnight start would be a lot less likely. “Even if you put the women’s match on first and it’s three sets, the guys start by 10pm," she explained. "If a men’s match goes five sets, you start at midnight.

Overall, it was a pain for everyone involved as Navratilova outlined. “You’re never on the court at midnight and you never start a match at midnight, so it’s counterproductive for everybody, spectators and the players.”

Day two could have followed that trend with Ben Shelton and Tallon Griekspoor the first to compete in the night session on Arthur Ashe while Naomi Osaka and Anastasia Zakharova waited around for their chance to steal the spotlight. Fortunately, the tie only lasted two hours and 35 minutes as the American No.1 came back from a set deficit to blast through.

These last three days have seen the organisers switch the women's and men's matches in this time slot with the WTA match coming first before the ATP follow in suit. It is a more practicable way of doing this as the women play a shorter format than the men.

As for Kenin, she was back in second round action a couple of days later and was on the end of a 6-3, 6-1 battering by Jessica Pegula. Part of that scoreline could have been down to that first round clash although Kenin would always be second favourite against someone like Pegula.