Top WTA players have mixed reactions to a proposal, backed by USTA CEO Craig Tiley, to extend women's Grand Slam matches to best-of-five sets from the quarterfinals. While Aryna Sabalenka supports the change, others like Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula cite concerns over physical and mental demands, scheduling, and consistency.
The debate over switching women's Grand Slam matches to best-of-five sets from the quarterfinals gained momentum after Craig Tiley, the new USTA CEO and former Australian Open director, advocated for it during the Australian Open. Tiley cited research showing fan interest increases with longer matches and proposed the change for quarters, semifinals, and finals ahead of the Indian Wells Open on March 3.
Women currently play best-of-three sets at majors, compared to men's best-of-five.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka strongly backed it: "Yeah, let’s do that. I feel like I would have probably more Grand Slams. Physically, I’m really strong… my body can handle that."
Coco Gauff, a three-time major winner, said it might favor her physically but preferred uniformity: "It probably would favour me… But I would prefer it to be the whole tournament, not just the quarters. Changing the format in the middle defeats the purpose."
Opposition was voiced by Iga Swiatek, a six-time major champion: "It's a weird approach in the world where everything is becoming faster." She questioned if fans would appreciate longer matches amid potential fatigue and quality drops, adding, "Men are more physically strong, and they can handle it better," and called for calendar adjustments.
Elena Rybakina, the reigning Australian Open champion, raised mental and physical concerns: "Mentally, to be ready to play so many sets if it goes to that point, I think it’s not easy… I wouldn’t want to play three out of five, to be honest."
Jessica Pegula, world No. 5 and WTA council chair, opposed it despite women's capabilities: "I think we have amazing female athletes that honestly I think we could do that. I don't think it's the fact that we can't; I just don't necessarily think that we should." She cited ATP observations that some men "throw sets" to manage energy—"If they get down a break, they tend to throw the set to get reset"—and highlighted a packed WTA calendar and excessive match lengths for fans.
The proposal remains under discussion with no changes implemented.
