Coco Gauff gives her verdict on no female players being scheduled to play the night matches at the French Open so far

Follow us on Google Discover

Coco Gauff is hoping to add a second Grand Slam title to her trophy cabinet with a win at the 2025 French Open.

The American WTA star was made to wait for her debut at the French Open in 2025, as her first-round match was scheduled for day three.

It was worth the wait, however, as Gauff beat Australia’s Olivia Gadecki in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, to book her place in the second round.

There, Gauff will take on Czech 18-year-old Tereza Valentova, who has already won four matches in Paris, advancing through to the French Open main draw via qualifying.

Gauff and Valentova will likely play in the day session on Thursday, when they return to the court, as the world number two now gives her verdict on the controversial scheduling at Roland Garros.

Coco Gauff says ‘most girls on tour’ don’t want to play night session matches that start at 11PM

During her post-match press conference, Gauff shared her thoughts on the French Open night sessions.

“I think here it’s a unique topic just because there is only one slot at 8:15 PM. I mean to be honest, if you want, I don’t think any girl, prove me wrong, but I don’t think anyone wants to play after the 8:15 PM match,” she said.

“I don’t know what the other girls would think, but I think most people would rather play before that.

“Maybe there is a chance to put someone at 6:30 PM or 7 PM, but I think if there is only going to be one match at 8:15 PM maybe it could be a women’s match, but if they want to start the night session at 8:15 PM I am sure most girls on tour would rather not play after a men’s match and not go on at 11 PM or 12 AM.”

Gauff did, however, reiterate that she wasn’t ‘complaining’ about the scheduling and that the decision is up to the tournament.

“It’s just tournament to tournament, and this tournament seems to just do what they want,” she said.

“But most tournaments do have the two matches, one starting at 7 PM and one afterwards, so I can’t really complain, but I think it’s just up to the tournament.”

Court Philippe Chatrier’s night sessions have been exclusively reserved for ATP Tour players at the 2025 French Open, a trend that will continue into the first day of second-round action.

• Wednesday, May 28, Day session match 1 – Jasmine Paolini/Ajla Tomljanovic
• Wednesday, May 28, Day session match 2 – Carlos Alcaraz/Fabian Marozsan
• Wednesday, May 28, Day session match 3 – Iga Swiatek/Emma Raducanu
• Wednesday, May 28, Night session match 1 – Holger Rune/Emilio Nava

Some fans have questioned the decision not to promote Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu’s second-round match to the night session, although it seems those concerns aren’t necessarily shared by the players.

Iga Swiatek says she ‘likes playing during the day’ and admits the schedule doesn’t bother her

Three-time defending champion Swiatek won her opening match on Monday and was asked for her thoughts on night sessions during her post-match press conference.

“I am not the one who makes the schedule. Every year we talk about it. My position hasn’t changed,” she said.

“I like playing during the day. So I’m glad to have finished and to be able to rest longer.

“On the other hand, people try to find things that aren’t equal between men and women. You can find that in the schedule, and you can ask us questions all the time. 

“Honestly, my answers won’t change. It doesn’t bother me.”

Gauff’s fellow American and the last woman to beat Swiatek, Danielle Collins, was of a different opinion, as she highlighted the upside to placing WTA stars in night sessions.

“To be honest I have not put a lot of thought into the scheduling because I am always just focused on trying to show up and do my job and do it the best as possible,” said Collins.

“But I do think there are a lot of benefits to having the women on during the night matches.

“We attract a lot of fans, a lot of crowd. We create a lot of discussion around the game overall. I think there is certainly value there in having us on the night schedule as well. 

“So I think it’s probably a little out of the ordinary compared to some of the other events, right? I mean, that is all I can really say.”

It remains to be seen if any women players will headline a Court Philippe Chatrier night session at the 2025 French Open, but it’ll certainly be something to look out for.