Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka Not Getting Night Matches at French Open Sparks WILD Reactions on Social Media

Iga Swiatek will be squaring off against Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal of the French Open, meeting in the clay-cour Major for the first time.

Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka Not Getting Night Matches at French Open Sparks WILD Reactions on Social Media

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek (Image via X/News Aryna Sabalenka, Jimmie48 Photography)

Since the start of the French Open, there have been debates and discussions about the scheduling of men’s and women’s matches. All the night matches played so far have been men’s. On Wednesday (June 4), two women’s semifinals were held, none got scheduled at 8:15 p.m.

They were wrapped up before the two men’s quarterfinals- Jannik Sinner versus Alexander Bublik and Novak Djokovic‘s clash with Alexander Zverev. It’s the latter match that got scheduled for the prime-time slot.

The two top players, World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and the greatest clay-court player of this generation on the WTA Tour, Iga Swiatek, so far have played during the day. Swiatek prefers playing in the day session because she wants to finish her matches early. But she has advocated for women’s matches to be placed at the 8:15 p.m. slot.

According to three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur, women not getting a night session is ‘sad’ and she penned a lengthy statement on social media to criticize the schedule. Coco Gauff– who also shares the same opinion, said that if the French Open introduces two-night matches like the US Open and the Australian Open, then women’s matches shouldn’t be scheduled after men’s because the latter can take hours to conclude.

When French Open director Amelie Mauresmo was questioned about the controversy, she said she’s not the only person making the schedule, and that ‘one unique’ match getting the prime slot depends on spectators. She said women’s matches can end quickly given that they play three-setters.

Men’s World No.1 Sinner too thinks the reason why organizers perhaps prefer men’s matches when it comes to night sessions is because they play five-setters. His solution to the controversy was to put two women’s matches in the night session.

Fans slam French Open for not scheduling Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek’s matches at night

Amid the scheduling row, fans on social media too criticized the French Open organizers for not scheduling Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek’s matches in the night session. Some of them cited the examples of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s matches to accuse the organizers of showing more men’s matches to the fans.

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek (2)
Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, Iga archive)

Sinner has been producing dominating performances and some of his matches ended quickly. Alcaraz’s quarterfinal clash with Tommy Paul too ended in 94 minutes. Sabalenka and Swiatek’s quarterfinal matches against Qinwen Zheng and Elina Svitolina, respectively, took more time to finish.

Here’s how fans reacted to the controversy:

Since the introduction of the night session at the clay-court Major, four women’s matches have been held at night, but since 2023, only one women’s match got that slot. Last year, all the matches that were out in the prime time slot were men’s ones.

Sabalenka and Swiatek have set up a blockbuster semifinal clash, scheduled on June 5. The 24-year-old holds a 5-1 win-loss record over the Belarusian on clay and also leads 8-4 in their overall head-to-head encounters. They last faced each other in the 2024 Cincinnati Open semifinals which Sabalenka won before reaching the final and lifting the trophy.

The winner of the semifinal match will face Coco Gauff or home favorite Lois Boisson in the championship match. Swiatek holds an 11-4 head-to-head over Gauff, but she hasn’t yet met the Frenchwoman. Sabalenka, on the other hand, is 5-5 against the American youngster and she too has never faced Boisson.

The three-time Grand Slam singles champion has never progressed beyond the semifinals at the French Open, reaching the last for the second time in her career. Swiatek is a three-time defending champion and is bidding to win her fifth title in the tournament. The Pole hasn’t yet progressed to a final since winning the French Open last year by beating Jasmine Paolini.

Also read: Cameron Norrie Reveals the Most Underrated Aspect of Novak Djokovic’s Game After Roland Garros Exit