Coco Gauff Demands French Open Equality as Women Remain Sidelined from Night Matches

Coco Gauff, the current world No. 2 and reigning US Open champion, has reignited the debate over gender equality at the French Open by questioning the ongoing exclusion of women’s matches from the prestigious night sessions at Roland Garros. After her straight-sets victory over Czech teenager Tereza Valentova, Gauff called on tournament organizers to provide equal exposure for women in the tournament’s coveted prime-time slot.

Since the introduction of the 8:15 PM night session on Court Philippe Chatrier in 2021, the French Open has exclusively featured men’s matches in that slot. Notably, last year’s tournament failed to feature even a single women’s match during night play. This year appears to be following suit, drawing widespread criticism from players and fans alike.

“I do think that women’s matches are worthy of a night spot,” Gauff asserted, backing up recent comments from fellow WTA star Ons Jabeur, who had strongly criticized the scheduling decisions. Gauff added, “From my experience playing at the US Open, where I was followed by Novak Djokovic, the fans were just as excited to see me play. I think that says a lot.”

While Gauff emphasized that she doesn’t advocate adding an extra match to the night session—which currently features only one fixture—she believes that at the very least, women should be rotated fairly into the schedule. “If they’re going to put one match at 8:15 PM, for sure it could be a woman. We’ve got the stars. We’ve got the quality,” she insisted.

Amélie Mauresmo, tournament director and former world No. 1, is expected to address the controversy in an upcoming press conference. The scheduling has come under particular scrutiny in a year where American women are thriving in Paris—14 have reached the second round of the singles draw, the most since 1987, and 22 Americans in total are through, a number not seen since 1994.

Gauff herself has been a standout among this strong American contingent. With her win over Valentova, she advanced to the third round and will now face Czech world No. 47 Marie Bouzkova. The 21-year-old is chasing her first title since winning the WTA Finals last year, having narrowly missed out in the Madrid and Rome finals.

Beyond her impressive record on the court, Gauff’s willingness to speak up for fairness and representation continues to establish her as not only a leader of her generation in tennis but a powerful voice for change. With players like her at the forefront, the calls for equal spotlight at Roland Garros are getting harder to ignore.