World No1 Aryna Sabalenka calls for ‘equal treatment’ in scheduling as French Open sexism row rolls on – with NO women’s matches featuring in prime time night slot

World No1 Aryna Sabalenka has voiced her discontent with the scheduling of her quarter-final clash with Zheng Qinwen amid a roiling sexism row at this year’s French Open. 

The controversy is not new to the tournament, who have come under fire since the inception of the night session for failing to adequately schedule women’s matches in the prime-time slot. 

Former Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur decried the lack of visibility given to women’s tennis, hinting that tournament organisers were ‘ignoring’ the greatness of the game with the unequal billing. 

The world No36’s well-crafted missive was shared on the heels of the head of the French tennis federation Gilles Moretton claiming that the tournament needed ‘better matches’ at night. 

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo was similarly unwilling to criticise the schedule, refusing to answer a number of questions on the subject during a tense meeting with the media last week. 

But while many female players on the tour have been reticent to share their views beyond personal preferences against playing in the night session, Sabalenka was keen to allow people greater opportunities to watch women’s tennis. 

Aryna Sabalenka has voiced her thoughts on the scheduling controversy at the French Open

The world No1 fell victim to inopportune scheduling in her quarter-final match-up against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen

Neither Amelie Mauresmo nor Gilles Moretton has been able to placate concerns over timings

After her straight-sets victory to Zheng, Sabalenka was first questioned over the half-empty stadium, with many of the lower tiers – typically more expensive or hospitality seats – unoccupied. 

While Sabalenka insisted that she didn’t focus on the crowd, she did agree that the lunch time scheduling was not befitting of match between the best player in the world and the Olympic champion in Zheng. 

‘It was a big match, and probably (it) would have made more sense to put us a little bit later just so more people could watch it,’ Sabalenka said. 

‘At the same time, 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. (But) talking about that, I definitely think that would make more sense to move our match a little bit later.’

On the subject of the night sessions not making it seem as if men and women’s matches were treated equally, she was more forthright, continuing: ‘I definitely agree with that, and I definitely have to say, we deserve the equal treatment. 

‘There was a lot of great battles, a lot of great matches (on the women’s side) which would be cool to see as a night session, just more people in the stands watching these incredible battles. 

And just to show ourselves to more people. So I definitely agree that we deserve to be put in a bigger stage, you know, like better timing, more people watching.’ 

Earlier in the tournament, US number one Jessica Pegula was similarly outspoken when she claimed that the treatment women players received at the Grand Slam made her feel like ‘hitting her head against a wall’. 

Ons Jabeur wrote a thoughtful message on social media about the importance of greater visibility for women’s tennis

Jessica Pegula said that receiving unequal treatment in Paris made her feel like she was ‘hitting her head against the wall’ 

‘Every year it’s the same thing. It’s never equal,’ Pegula said on Saturday. ‘We are an event that is supposed to be equal. Why not give us some more chances to be?

‘It feels like just hitting my head against the wall because I feel like we have been talking about this for two, three, four (years) – probably forever, to be honest, because it’s never been equal.’

Mauresmo said in her charged press conference on Friday that ‘the message has never been the girls are not worthy of playing at night’.  

But both of the women’s quarter-finals scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday have been the two first matches on Court Philippe-Chatrier, with men’s matches played as the last of the day sessions, and the prime-time night session. 

Should the tournament wish to break its duck in the semi-finals, the powers that be have a gift in the form of Sabalenka’s next match-up. 

The three-time Grand Slam title-holder is set to play defending champion and four-time Roland-Garros winner Iga Swiatek in just their second-ever Grand Slam meeting.