The French Open organisers should be embarrassed after watching Emma Raducanu vs Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon

Follow us on Google Discover

Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka put on a tennis clinic on Friday night as they battled it out for a place in the Wimbledon fourth round.

With the roof closed on Centre Court, Raducanu and Sabalenka provided two hours of relentless entertainment.

Saving seven set points in the first, Raducanu pushed the world number one to a tiebreaker, missing a set point of her own, as Sabalenka eventually took the lead 7-6 [8-6].

Not willing to let the opportunity slip through her fingers, Raducanu, spurred on by the passionate British fans, broke early in the second, as she looked to send the tie into a deciding set.

It wasn’t to be, however, as the experience of Sabalenka prevailed, breaking twice late on to secure the win 7-6, 6-4.

The fans on Centre Court were disappointed to see their favorite, Raducanu, exit the tournament, but were more than satisfied with the action they saw.

Perhaps another Grand Slam tournament should take note, as the women put on a show on Friday evening.

Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka proved women deserve night session matches at Roland Garros

One of the biggest stories at the French Open last month was the tournament organisers’ refusal to schedule women’s matches for the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Despite having plenty of opportunities to let the stars of the WTA Tour shine, they insisted on having the men play instead.

Raducanu and Sabalenka’s Wimbledon thriller arguably proved the French Open organisers wrong, as there’s no doubt everyone departing Centre Court will have said they got their money’s worth on Friday night.

However, while Wimbledon deserves credit for scheduling the women’s match last, that’s not to say there’s been an even split at this year’s Championships.

Just two women’s matches (both featuring Raducanu) have been scheduled as the last match of the day on Centre Court in 2025.

With Novak Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic set to headline day six, the women will have been last on in just 33% of the matches at Wimbledon as the first week nears its end.

There is no doubt, however, that Wimbledon has done a better job than Roland Garros at sharing the spotlight.

But why don’t the French Open organisers schedule women’s matches for the Chatrier night sessions?

The reasons why the French Open doesn’t schedule women’s matches for Chatrier night sessions

Roland Garros is unique in how they format their day and night sessions, compared to the other three Grand Slams.

Not only does their night session start later than the others, but it also features just one match, whereas the Australian Open, for example, often hosts two.

Therefore, the big worry for Roland Garros organisers is that if they schedule a women’s match for the night session on Chatrier, it could finish quickly, leaving fans without a full evening’s entertainment.

As the men play best-of-five sets, compared to the women playing best-of-three, their matches often last longer.

That isn’t always the case, of course, as there have been several occasions where three-set women’s matches outlast men’s three-set matches.

If the French Open were to simply add another match to the night session, surely their problems would be solved, as they could rotate between scheduling a men’s match one night and two women’s matches the next.

However, it doesn’t look like they’ll be making a change anytime soon, as the men continue to get the nod at Roland Garros.