Sabalenka wins latest-starting match in US Open history

NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka finally got rolling after a bad beginning to the latest-starting match in U.S. Open history, regrouping to beat No. 29 Ekaterina Alexandrova early Saturday to reach the fourth round.

The No. 2 seed didn't hit the first shot of the match until after midnight and had dropped the first set barely a half-hour later. But she seized control early in the second set, winning 10 straight games to open a 5-0 lead in the third.

The runner-up last year in Flushing Meadows advanced to face No. 33 seed Elise Mertens on Sunday.

The previous latest start to a match at the U.S. Open was exactly at midnight on Sept. 2, 1987, with Gabriela Sabatini going on to beat Beverly Bowes 6-3, 6-3.

The night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium began more than an hour after its usual 7 p.m. starting time following Frances Tiafoe's victory over Ben Shelton in the afternoon that lasted 4 hours, 3 minutes.

Under a new late-night match policy the tournament debuted this year, the tournament referee can move any match that hasn't gone on by 11:15. Instead, Sabalenka and Alexandrova were kept on Ashe, finally getting on the court after defending champion Novak Djokovic was shocked by No. 28 seed Alexei Popyrin in four sets.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis