Aryna Sabalenka Calls for More Visibility for Women’s Matches at Roland-Garros
PARIS — Aryna Sabalenka, the top-ranked player in women’s tennis, recently expressed her frustrations about competing in front of empty seats at Roland-Garros. Despite her impressive status, she believes this situation is unfair . money coming jili
In the first quarterfinal match, Sabalenka faced off against China’s Zheng Qinwen, starting at 11 a.m. on Court Philippe-Chatrier. As the match unfolded, numerous sections of the 15,000-seat stadium remained vacant — a scene often seen during the morning hours of 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 noted after her 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory. “I definitely think that would make more sense to kind of like move our match for a little bit later.”
However, scheduling more night sessions for women’s matches is a complicated issue for French Open tournament director Amélie Mauresmo. Since the introduction of night sessions in 2021, only four women’s singles matches have been showcased in that prime time slot. Notably, Serena Williams played in the first-ever night match at Roland-Garros, but pandemic restrictions resulted in empty stands.
This year, no women’s matches have been slated for the evening session, a reality that Sabalenka argues needs to change swerte casino login. When asked about the absence of night matches for women, the Belarusian player asserted that they deserve “equal treatment casino free register bonus.”
“There were a lot of… great battles, a lot of great matches which would be cool to see as night sessions,” she remarked. “Just more people in the stands watching these incredible battles. And just to show ourselves to more people. I definitely agree that we deserve to be put on a bigger stage. Like better timing, more people watching.”
On the bright side, Sabalenka appreciated the early start before her semifinal against four-time champion Iga Swiatek. “I’m happy to finish earlier, and then I have a half day off and I can just enjoy the city and do all the things that I have to do,” she stated.
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