For the first time in three years, a women's match will headline the night session at the French Open on Monday. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has faced significant criticism for reserving the prime-time single-match slot almost exclusively for men's singles contests since the session was introduced in 2021.
Out of the first 60 matches scheduled in the night session, only four were women's singles, with none taking place since 2023. However, the blockbuster fourth-round encounter between world number one Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka has been selected for Monday, ending a run of 33 consecutive men's matches.
Mauresmo's Defence and Criticism
Mauresmo has previously defended the reliance on men's matches, citing value for money for ticket-holders and the potential for women's contests, which are played over best-of-three sets instead of best-of-five, to be very quick. New WTA chief executive Valerie Camillo met Mauresmo at Roland Garros this week, calling for greater representation of women's matches in the night session.
Osaka's Reaction
Speaking about the possibility of playing in the night session after her third-round win, Osaka said: "I'm so used to not playing night matches here and playing night matches in the US Open or something like that that I don't even associate this tournament with night matches."
