Top-ranked Sabalenka plays in front of empty seats at French Open, calls for fairer scheduling

PARIS (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka is the top-ranked player in women’s tennis. Yet even that status didn’t spare her from competing in front of empty seats at Roland-Garros, something she says isn’t fair.

The three-time Grand Slam champion faced China’s Zheng Qinwen in the first quarterfinal match on Tuesday, beginning at 11 a.m. on Court Philippe-Chatrier. When play began, large sections of the 15,000-seat stadium were still unoccupied — a common sight in the early hours at 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 said after her 7-6 (3), 6-3 win. “ I definitely think that would make more sense to kind of like move our match for a little bit later.”

But scheduling more night sessions for women is proving a tough issue to resolve for French Open tournament director Amélie Mauresmo.

Since the introduction of night sessions in 2021, only four women’s singles matches have been featured in that marquee time slot. Serena Williams played in the first-ever night match at Roland-Garros, but pandemic restrictions meant the stands were empty.

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates as she won the quarterfinal match of the French Tennis Open against China’s Qinwen Zheng at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

No women’s matches have been scheduled for the evening session this year, something Sabalenka said should change. Asked about her views on the fact that women haven’t played a single night match this year, the player from Belarus said they deserve “equal treatment.”

“There was a lot of … great battles, a lot of great matches which would be cool to see as night sessions,” she said. “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.”

There was, however, one upside to the early start for Sabalenka ahead of 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 said.