Gauff: Time for French to feature women at night

PARIS -- Coco Gauff connected Thursday said determination is country to "improve" the French Open docket and that "women's matches are worthy of a nighttime spot" arsenic organizers astatine Roland Garros proceed to enactment men's matchups there.

Ons Jabeur was heavily captious of Roland Garros organizers connected Wednesday for their penchant successful placing men's singles matches successful the evening slot. Since the nighttime league was introduced successful 2022, conscionable 2 of 34 matches person featured women's singles.

So far, a men's singles lucifer has been featured successful the nighttime slot each time during this year's Grand Slam event. By comparison, the archetypal lucifer connected Court Philippe-Chatrier is usually played successful beforehand of sparse crowds, and each 4 openers this twelvemonth person been women's singles.

"It's inactive bittersweet that we are inactive seeing this," Jabeur said Wednesday. "I support lasting by my words.

Gauff agreed with Jabeur, adding that if organizers were to play 2 matches astatine nighttime -- with play typically opening astatine 8.15 p.m. locally -- past it'd beryllium unfair to enactment the women's lucifer second.

"I don't deliberation that a pistillate should play aft the men astatine 8:15," Gauff said aft her second-round triumph implicit Tereza Valentova connected Thursday. "I conscionable deliberation that's unfair."

"If they are going to enactment 1 lucifer astatine 8:15, for definite determination could beryllium an accidental to enactment a pistillate there. If they're going to enactment 2 slots, and the archetypal lucifer is starting astatine 8:15, I don't deliberation a woman's lucifer should beryllium played aft a men's match. I conscionable don't deliberation radical should beryllium going connected astatine 11 [p.m.] oregon 12 [a.m.], to beryllium honest."

Jabeur's disapproval came aft French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton said "we request to enactment the amended lucifer ... for the spectators" astatine night.

Gauff said women's matches tin capable that requirement.

"I consciousness similar we nutrient immoderate high-quality tennis and we person immoderate large stars connected the women's broadside who fans I'm definite would emotion to see," Gauff said. "From my experience, playing astatine the US Open, nighttime lucifer astatine 7 p.m., with Novak [Djokovic] pursuing maine -- and he's the top subordinate of each clip -- radical were astir conscionable arsenic excited to spot maine play arsenic [they were] him.

"Same with different places I play, similar Australia. Night match, radical were excited to spot [me], too. I decidedly deliberation determination is accidental to amended that successful the aboriginal with this tournament."