Top-ranked Sabalenka plays in front of empty seats at French Open, calls for fairer scheduling
PARIS: Aryna Sabalenka is the top-ranked player in women's tennis. Yet even that status didn't spare her from competing in front of empty seats at Roland-Garros, something she says isn't fair.
The three-time Grand Slam champion faced China's Zheng Qinwen in the first quarterfinal match on Tuesday, beginning at 11 a.m. on Court Philippe-Chatrier. When play began, large sections of the 15,000-seat stadium were still unoccupied — a common sight in the early hours at the French Open, when many ticket holders opt for lunch or arrive later in the day.
'It was a big match and probably would make more sense to put us a little bit later just so more people could watch it,' Sabalenka said after her 7-6 (3), 6-3 win. ' I definitely think that would make more sense to kind of like move our match for a little bit later.'
But scheduling more night sessions for women is proving a tough issue to resolve for French Open tournament director Amélie Mauresmo.
Since the introduction of night sessions in 2021, only four women's singles matches have been featured in that marquee time slot. Serena Williams played in the first-ever night match at Roland-Garros, but pandemic restrictions meant the stands were empty.
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