32 Night Sessions and Zero Women: The French Open's Glaring Gender Blind Spot

The Numbers Don't Lie: Women Shut Out of French Open Night Sessions

A striking pattern has emerged at Roland Garros that is impossible to ignore. All eight night session matches scheduled at this year's French Open have been handed exclusively to male players — continuing a streak that now stretches to 32 consecutive primetime slots without a single women's match.

The last time a women's match graced the prestigious evening slot on Court Philippe Chatrier was back in 2023. Since the single-match night format was launched in 2021, only four of the 60 available primetime slots have featured women's tennis — a ratio that has drawn sharp criticism from players, governing bodies, and fans alike.

Top Players Speak Out Against the Inequality

The frustration within the women's game has been building steadily. Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka captured the mood perfectly when she admitted she doesn't even mentally connect the French Open with night matches — a damning reflection of how normalized the exclusion has become.

American world number five Jessica Pegula previously described the situation as repeatedly "hitting her head against the wall," while two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur delivered a pointed remark, questioning whether the tournament's decision-makers "have daughters" — a comment she has now repeated for the second consecutive year without any meaningful change taking place.

Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open women's champion and one of the rare female players to have experienced the night session firsthand, has added her voice to the chorus calling for reform.

"I wish women's tennis could be shown more in those spots. The men always have the priority with the scheduling — they take the most popular slots and the bigger courts," Ostapenko told BBC Sport. "I like to play at night, especially when the stadiums are full. That energy is what we all play for."

A High-Stakes Meeting Behind the Scenes

The persistence of this issue has prompted newly appointed WTA chief executive Valerie Camillo to take direct action. During a meeting at Roland Garros this week, Camillo sat down with French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo — herself a former women's world number one — to address the imbalance head-on.

The WTA characterized the conversation as open and productive. Camillo made clear her position that women's players have consistently delivered some of the most compelling and high-energy competition in world sport over recent seasons, and that the scheduling structure should reflect that quality.

The Tournament's Justification Falls Flat

Despite mounting pressure, Mauresmo has repeatedly defended the current approach by pointing to the risk of women's matches concluding too quickly. With night session tickets priced between €60 and €280 (approximately £50 to £240), tournament organizers have expressed concern that a brisk two-set women's match could leave spectators feeling short-changed.

Mauresmo has also ruled out expanding the format to include two matches per evening session — a model already in use at the Australian Open and US Open — citing concerns about late finish times.

This reasoning, however, rings hollow to many observers. The French Open has already resisted calls for change despite vocal opposition from players, the WTA, and reportedly from broadcasters as well.

The Osaka-Sabalenka Test Case

Attention now turns to whether a blockbuster fourth-round clash between Osaka and world number one Aryna Sabalenka will be considered for a night slot. Osaka herself expressed uncertainty, suggesting the coveted evening position seemed reserved for what she described as "popcorn matches."

If a meeting between a four-time Grand Slam champion and the reigning top-ranked women's player in the world doesn't qualify for primetime treatment, it raises serious questions about what ever would.

Notably, some elite players — including four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek — have been known to prefer earlier scheduling, which adds a layer of complexity to the debate.

Will Anything Actually Change?

The sad reality, as Ostapenko acknowledged, is that optimism is hard to sustain.

"I hope it will change," she said. "Even if it's not me playing, I would love to see women's matches in those slots. But honestly, I don't know that we will."

With 32 nights and counting, the French Open's scheduling choices send a message — whether intentional or not — about how much it truly values the women's game. The question now is whether the tournament will finally listen, or whether this conversation will simply resurface again in 2026.